Murphey's Jem
by wrongaccount
Summary: James Coughlin's high school sweetheart left him while he was serving time in prison for manslaughter. Ever since then his life has had no purpose. When his ex comes back to Charlestown, will he find his purpose in life again? JEM/OC
1. Prologue

**I wasn't going to post this anytime soon but I wanted to get your reaction before I put all my effort into it. Once again thanks to my BETA Avenline Archer {my fellow Jem lover} for helping me with this also. Please Read and Review.**

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own anything associated with The Town. That belongs to Ben Affleck. I only own my OC's Murphey and Caroline and any other OC's that appear in this story.

**Main Characters:** James 'Jem' Coughlin and Murphey-Lee Copeland (OC)

**Other Characters Mentioned**: Claire Keesey, Doug McCray, Krista Coughlin, Gloansy, Dez, Adam Frawley, Caroline (OC), and others.

**Rating**: M for language and sexual content.

**Summary:** James Coughlin's high school sweetheart left him while he was serving time in prison for manslaughter. Ever since then his life has had no purpose. When his ex comes back to Charlestown, will he find his purpose in life again?

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**PROLOGUE:**

"I can't do this anymore, James," Murphey-Lee Copeland spoke softly, yet every word carried across the table to her boyfriend; James Coughlin.

"Can't do what?" James frowned. He noticed she appeared more withdrawn than she was during her usual visits.

"Us," she said looking down at her hands resting upon the table. She knew it was hard breaking up with James but she needed to do it.

James and Murphey got together not long after her fifteenth birthday, he was seventeen but they fell in love. Murphey knew of James' lifestyle but never judged him once for it. For it was hard for people to believe that he genuinely loved Murphey. He never put people before himself, let alone opened himself up to love.

"What about us?" he asked her, already not liking where this conversation was going.

"Jem," she used his nickname everyone called him. "I start at BU in two weeks and you're in here for another six years! How can we make this work?"

He was three years into his nine-year stint at Walpole on manslaughter charges, after shooting a kid at the back of a cemetery when he was eighteen years old. Murphey stuck by him through the trial and the sentencing, and then came to visit him when she could spare the time. She didn't know if she could do it anymore.

"I don't know. But I love you and that's all that matters," he said taking one of her hands in his but she recoiled from his touch.

"I love you too Jem, but I'm going to be busy with classes and studying. I won't have time to come and visit you or anything…" she tried to fight the tears forming in her eyes.

For once, James didn't know what to say. His closest friends told him that this day would happen but he didn't believe them, not when it came to Murphey. She belonged at his side, and he saw her smiling face when he closed his eyes at night, dreaming of the day he'd be released from prison and be back in her arms. Now he didn't know what to think or say.

"So this is it?" he finally spoke.

Murphey nodded, "I'm sorry Jem. I love you, but it's just hard –"

"Murph, its fine," he forced a smile. "You've got a life to live and me being who I am, I'm just going to hold you back."

She studied his expression and knew he was lying. "Jem it's not that you'd hold me back. I've never judged you for what you've done and who you are. It's got nothing to do with this, I just thought this would be easier instead of us completely drifting apart," her tearful blue eyes piercing his own blue eyes.

"I understand," he muttered.

Murphey nodded rising from her seat but before she could turn to leave he spoke her name. "I always knew a good girl would make something of herself, unlike me,"

"It's never too late to turn your life around –"

"Yes it is," he sighed.

Murphey knew that wasn't true but she recognized the environment James had grown up in meant it would be hard to break the cycle.

"You're better than that," She told him.

he slowly rose from his seat, shrugging his shoulders hopelessly.

"When you get out you can start over, be who you want to be."

"You should go. You probably have to pack your shit or something," he said.

Before she could stop herself, she threw herself at him embracing him tightly. "Keep safe okay?"

"You know I will," he said giving her a gentle reassuring squeeze. "You keep safe too. And don't fuckin' fall for one of those stuck up rich guys who ain't gonna treat you right." he added as they released each other.

"I'd never be with one of those guys. Not when my heart belongs to a real gem."

They smiled and he pulled her into one last kiss. He was going to miss having her in his arms, her lips against his, their bodies pressed together. He was going to miss all of her and how she made him feel. He knew what she was doing was the best for her. He just hated that it had to happen this way.

Murphey pulled away as the tears began to fall, even though he gently wiped them away with his thumb. "I should definitely go now," she sighed.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll see you around when I get out," he said hoping she hadn't noticed the hopeful tone in his voice.

"Maybe," she sighed again. "Goodbye Jem."

"Bye."

He watched her walked away, never once did she look over her shoulder for one last glance, and even though she said it was over, his hope would linger.


	2. 10 Years Later

**Just posting this to see what you think and if i should continue posting it on here. Please leave your reviews...**

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**CHAPTER ONE: 10 YEARS LATER...**

"Guess who I saw down at the bar tonight?" Krista Coughlin announced as she walked through the door, discovering her brother; Jem sitting there watching television.

"I'm really not in the mood to listen to your gossip, Kris," he spoke through a yawn, not taking his gaze off the late night reruns.

"Did you know your girl Murphey-Lee is back in town? She was at the bar with some rich looking toonie," she smirked knowing it would annoy Jem to find out his ex-girlfriend was with a rich guy when she promised she wouldn't.

Truth was Murphey was at the bar with two other women having what seemed to be a celebration of some sort. She just lied to get under Jem's skin. She never cared for her brother or his past relationship unless it got him out of the damn house.

"How do I know this isn't some lame excuse to get me out of the house so you can fuck my best friend?" Jem frowned at her. He knew his sister and best friend, Doug, were sleeping together. She meant little to Doug, but Krista had been in love with him since they were kids.

"Y'think I'd bring up your whore from high school for that?" she asked him with a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah I do. You only give a fuck about two things... keeping Shyne and fucking Doug."

Shyne was his two year old niece. Krista got knocked up after a one night stand where she was high and drunk. You would have thought she'd stop with the oxy and drinking when Shyne came along but the only thing that changed was that she stopped screwing everyone else and focused on Doug. She even tried to claim Doug was Shyne's father. That was soon blown out of the water when the DNA test came back.

"Shut the fuck up Jem! This has nothing to do with Shyne!" Krista glared at him, hating it when people tried to use her daughter against her.

Jem rolled his eyes and turned off the television. "I'm sorry, I forgot everything is about you." He grabbed his wallet and keys.

"Where are you going?" Krista asked watching him as he walked to the front door.

"Far away from here and your skanky ways," he retorted opening the door and stalked out into the muggy night air.

He decided to walk and clear his head instead of being stuck in his car with a broken air conditioner. His thoughts replayed Krista's words. He didn't want to believe her, but he knew she wouldn't have mentioned Murphey unless she'd actually seen her. She despised Murphey from the moment she joined their little group. Murphey grew close to everyone, especially Doug, they were the siblings neither of them had but Krista didn't get the memo about Murphey being head over heels in love with Jem.

Jem knew of Krista's hate and jealousy towards Murphey. He didn't care though. He loved Murphey and he knew Murphey loved him. He trusted both Murphey and Doug wouldn't do anything. He was glad the girl he saw himself spending the rest of his life with got along with his best friend. If she hadn't, the relationship was bound to fail.

Jem found himself at a bar he'd surprisingly never been to. He walked inside and over to the bar. He ordered himself a beer as he sat down on the empty stool in front of him.

He handed the bar tender the money to pay for his drink when it was handed to him. "Keeps the change," he told him. He knew it was only going to be a few cents and it wasn't like he was going to need it. He took a swig from the bottle as his mind drifted back to Murphey. He had to admit to himself the petite brunette still held onto his heart.

He reminisced about the time he had given her a white gold heart shaped locket that had a few diamonds in the front of it. There were photos of him and her in it and he had gotten J+M engraved into the back of it. He gave it to her for her sixteenth birthday, just before killing that kid at the back of the cemetery. One of his favourite memories of Murphey was her reaction to the locket when she opened the jewellery box. She didn't once question him about how he managed to pay for it. She was grateful that he had gotten her something so special.

Jem was soon pulled from his thoughts when he heard an all too familiar laugh.

Murphey laughed at something stupid her slightly drunk friend had said. She had been back in Charlestown a month. Her friends Caroline and Claire had convinced her to come out and celebrate Claire's work promotion and Caroline's engagement to her high school sweetheart. They were sitting in the third bar they'd stumbled into that evening.

"Alright girls, if you promise me this is our last stop, I'll buy the rest of the rounds for tonight," Murphey told them with a grin.

"I think that is a fair deal," Caroline giggled holding up her now empty wine glass. She was a light weight when it came to the booze, but it made the night entertaining to say the least.

"We promise," Claire was the soberest one of the three. Unlike Caroline, she could handle her alcohol but tonight she wasn't drinking too much. Tomorrow she was starting her new position as bank manager and wanted to make a good impression.

"Alright, I'll go get the next round now," Murphey said getting up from her seat. She walked over to the bar and ordered two beers and another glass of white wine for her non beer drinking friend.

As she waited for the drinks, she heard her name being said. She turned her head to the person next to her. Their eyes connected, both widening in shock as they realized they knew each other. Her breath caught in her throat seeing him sitting next to where she was standing. She could only muster up one word she never thought would grace her red lips again.

"Jem."


	3. I Love Her

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I appreciate it. Here's another chapter. I can't thank my BETA Aveline Archer enough. Please Read and Review...**

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**CHAPTER THREE**

**I Love Her...**

****"Kris was right." Jem mumbled more to himself than his former girlfriend, standing gobsmacked beside him. He inhaled deeply causing a smile to twitch at his lips as he realized she still wore the same perfume.

Their gazes remained locked for a long moment, neither of them able to form the right words to express the range of feelings they felt.

Murphey dreamt about this day and all the things she'd express when she met Jem once he was out of prison. But now she couldn't think of a single thing, let alone use the brain function to move. It wasn't until the bartender cleared his throat that she jumped and handed the money over to him.

"Keep the change." She forced a smile before turning back to Jem, a distance desire to embrace him making her fingers jerk. "I uh…I should…"

"Get back to your friends," he nodded his head, glancing over his shoulder where his sight focused on two women standing beside a table, watching their interaction with interest. "They ain't stopped staring since you got here."

"They're probably thirsty," she replied lamely.

"You look good Murph."

Her heart fluttered to hear him say that, but his gaze drifted back to the umber coloured glass of his beer bottle. "You too Jem."

"I'll see you around." he added as she gathered the glasses, motioning to leave. Something about the tone of his voice gave her the impression he meant it.

"I have no doubt we will."

She walked back to her table where her friends were surprisingly waiting patiently, leaning eagerly forward to hear the details of her conversation with the handsome stranger.

"Who was that?" Caroline asked twirling a lock of blonde hair around her finger, while the other cradled the wine glass.

"Just somebody that I use to know," Murphey tried to bury her feelings for Jem years ago, and never mentioned it to anyone.

"Looks like it," Caroline nudged her side. "I can see you getting friendly with him."

Murphey rolled her eyes in reply and Claire laughed. "Leave her alone!"

Jem heard the three women laugh and quickly drained the beer from the bottle, stalking out of the bar. He realized as the cool night air sobered him up that he needed her back in his life, he was incomplete without her. He needed to find out her hot spots and what she did for a living. He knew she went to Boston University to study photography, even though she was a natural. But he didn't know if she pursued her dream job. He'd soon find out though.

He got home to see all the lights off and no one awake. He turned on a light, walking into the kitchen to grab himself another beer before heading back into the living room where he dropped upon the worn-out couch and turned on the T.V. The mind-numbing commercials would distract him from walking straight back out the door, and going after Murphy.

"You just get home?" Doug's voice came from behind him and he nodded. "You weren't gone long."

"I needed a walk," Jem sipped from the bottle as his best friend sat beside him, watching the commercials.

"Must've been a long fuckin' walk, you were gone ages for just a walk."

"So fuckin' what? You ain't my mother."

"Did you stop somewhere?"

Jem rolled his eyes but his gaze never left the TV. "I had a fuckin' drink! Alright?"

"Alright then." Doug said.

"I saw Murph," Jem announced out of nowhere, his blue eyes glancing at the beer bottle. "She was at the bar with some friends."

"Oh yeah?" Doug didn't hide his surprise, even though he and Murphey were good friends she didn't bother to stay in contact with him after she left for BU. He couldn't blame her; she was distraught after ending her relationship with Jem. "How is she?"

"Dunno, we didn't talk much." He muttered wishing they'd talked for longer. "But I'm gonna see her again."

"When?"

"Dunno," he shrugged. "But I'm gonna win her back. I don't give a shit if she's married with kids, I'm gonna have her back with me."

"Leave her alone Jem –"

"Fuck off, she's mine Dougie and always will be." He stated stubbornly.

"Just be careful. I don't wanna bail your ass out of jail when you fuck it up –"

"I won't fuck it up –"

"You always fuck it up." Doug argued lightly shaking his head. Jem was a stubborn ass that would keep pushing until someone else shoved back. There might've been plenty of girls to fill his bed over the years but his heart purely belonged to Murphy.

"I love her." Jem muttered refusing to look at Doug as he admitted his feelings aloud for the first time in years. "And she feels the same."

"Okay man, whatever. You'll do what you need too; I'm going back to bed." Doug rose from the couch and went back to his room, but Jem lingered on the couch watching commercials and drinking beer until he passed out.


	4. Flashback Dreams

**Major twist in this chapter. Hope you enjoy. Please Read and Review. Not many people did last time.**

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**CHAPTER THREE**

**Flashback Dreams**

_Jem carefully slid the window up, pausing a moment to listen for any noise before climbing into Murphey's bedroom. She was instantly caught off guard, jumping as she read in bed._

_"What the hell Jem! You scared the fuckin' shit out of me!" The pretty teenager snapped, scowling at him as she clutched her chest. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Your mom isn't here and I wanted to see you." He stated simply, as they both realized Murphey's mother wasn't very fond of him, but neither of them cared about that point. _

_But Murphey raised her eyebrows at her boyfriend; there was a sharp tone to his voice. Something was wrong but he didn't want to come straight out and mention it. "Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah," he sat on the edge of the bed._

_"You don't sound it," she closed her book setting it on the bedside table and reached for his hand. "Talk to me."_

_"You know I love you no matter what, right?"_

_"Of course I do," she admitted lightly rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. "You're starting to scare me Jem, tell me what's going on."_

_"It's nothing; just tell me you love me."_

_She smiled at him. "I love you Jem."_

_"That's all I need to hear." He leaned forward, cupping her face in his hands seeing the future he wanted with her, but he knew it wasn't going to happen anytime soon._

_He kissed her softly, savoring her taste as the way his fingers easily tangled in her hair. He wanted to remember every single thing about her, and she didn't hold him back, curling her arms round his neck as she pulled him down upon her._

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_Jem had been found guilty on manslaughter charges a week ago. This was the first time since the verdict was read that he was allowed visitors, and Murphey was the first person to arrive. He longed to see her as she was his piece of heaven amongst the hell. _

_He noticed she was nervous, picking at her chipping nail polish. The first prison visit was always the worse and the most intimidating. The burly guards standing nearby didn't help, but Jem ignored everything around them, reaching across the table to hold her hand. _

_Her blue eyes struggled to hold his gaze. "I need to tell you something."_

_"What?"_

_"I…I'm uh," she breathed out a long shaky breath. "I'm pregnant."_

_Jem felt his eyebrows rise and his grip of her hand tighten. He didn't say anything as he watched his girlfriend reach into her jacket pocket and pull out a sonogram photo. _

_"You're the only one who knows."_

_He took the sonogram, unable to fight the tears that prickled at the corners of his eyes. "What are you gonna do?"_

_"I dunno," she shrugged. "What are we gonna do?"_

_"We should keep it." His lips curved as he glanced up from the photo at Murphey watching his reaction carefully. "I can't do much here, but when I get out, we'll be a real family."_

_"Are you sure you want this Jem?"_

_"Fuck yeah, it's our baby." _

_She smiled back at him. Even though he'd be in prison, he gave her the confidence to keep the baby, and know that everything would be fine between them. She held the locket around her neck as she leaned forward and planted her lips against his._

_"I love you James Coughlin." _

_"I love you too Murphey-Lee Copeland."_

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_Jem always looked forward to Murphey visits, especially during the pregnancy when his hands could cradle her stomach and feel his daughter move beneath his palms. Sometimes he'd rest his ear against her bump and just listen to the baby move, wishing he could be there the day she arrived. But there were complications three months before Murphey's due date. He'd received a phone call from Doug, who took Murphey in after her mother ruthlessly kicked her out of the house – claiming she wouldn't raise a criminal's baby. Doug said there was a chance the baby might not survive, and Jem took his anger out on the brick wall of his cell, cutting up the delicate flesh of his knuckles. But the dull ache in his chest only grew._

_When Murphey came for her visit it was instantly apparent something was wrong. Her skin had an unnatural paleness that stood out beneath her dark hair, and her blue eyes had lost the sparkle he'd fallen for years before. The moment he held her in his arms, she burst into tears, sobbing freely into his jumpsuit._

_"She didn't make it." Jem leaned back, cupping Murphey's face she was forced to look at him. "Kaylee didn't make it." She wept._

_Jem held Murphey closer to him as the dull ache moulded into anger, the need to lash out building up as he realized this wouldn't have happened if he'd been at her side. Their daughter was gone and he'd never know what it felt like to hold the precious bundle in his arms. He'd never get the chance to stare into her eyes, and he'd never forgive himself for letting Murphey suffer through this alone._

_Jem continued to cradle Murphey in his arms. He didn't want to let her go even when her visiting hour was over. A guard had come in and practically torn them apart dragging Jem back to his cell._

* * *

"Murph!" Jem gasped as he shot up out of his sleep.

He looked around and found himself still on the couch in the living room. He placed the empty beer bottle still in his hand on the coffee table, and stood up lightly shaking his head. The memories faded but the throbbing pain of grief had lingered every day since his daughter had died. He made his way to his bedroom where he got under the blankets and fell into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Invitation

**Read and Review please...**

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**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Invitation.**

Jem walked through the park located a few blocks away from the house he shared with his sister and Doug, still fuming about the latest argument he'd endured with Krista. She only wanted to talk about Murphey, and his hopeless attempts to find her, in the end to save himself from slapping her into next year, he left the house.

He hadn't seen Murphey since that night at the bar three weeks ago. He hadn't had much luck finding out where she worked, or what she did and where she went. After a week Doug tried to get Jem to give up finding her. But being true to his nature, Jem didn't listen and stubbornly fought on.

He walked along the footpath with his head down, not watching where he was going until he bumped into someone.

"Fuckin' watch where –" he paused mid-sentence as he stared into a familiar pair of blue eyes. "Murphey,"

"J…Jem hi," she spluttered.

"Sorry –" he went to apologize but she cut him off.

"I wasn't watching where I was going." She fiddled with the camera in her grasp; she'd been going through the photos before running into Jem.

"Neither," he smiled glancing down at the camera, happy to see she'd followed her dreams. "You still takin' photos?"

"I never stopped," her thick Boston accent sounded like music to Jem's ears. "I run my own business, sell pictures to the masses." She grinned.

He loved the way she lit up when she talked about her photography, she was passionate about the craft and had a good eye, seeing the beauty in the world around her. "That's fuckin' great!" Jem was truly amazed at how far she had come.

A slight blush crept up on her cheeks. "Thanks." An awkward silence fell between them and then Murphey cleared her throat. "So, I should get going. I have a few things to sort out."

"Yeah me too." He stated wishing he could go with her.

She walked pass him, her scent filling his nostrils and he began talking before his brain kicked into gear.

"Wait!" She glanced over her shoulder, turning to face him. "I'm having a BBQ tomorrow night at my place. You should come,"

"Me? I don't know if I can." She muttered despite the violent pounding of her heart. Being back in Charlestown was stirring up feelings and thoughts she'd buried years before.

"Doug wants to see you," he admitted but had no intention of telling him she'd be coming if she agreed.

"Alright," she sighed. "What's your address?"

She grabbed a pen out of her bag and wrote down Jem's address as he told it to her, and then grabbed his hand writing her phone number upon his flesh. "Just in case there has been a change of plan."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

She nodded, turning on her heal and walked away while he stared at the digits written across his palm.

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Jem walked through the front door of house, discovering Doug sitting on the couch watching some random crap on T.V.

"You're in a better mood," he said noticing Jem didn't have his usual scowl plastered upon his face.

Jem sat down on the opposite end of the couch. "'Cause I just proved you all fuckin' wrong."

"How?" Doug frowned.

"I saw Murphey again but this time at the park." He left out the part about him inviting her to their annual weekend BBQ and booze up. "We swapped numbers too."

"She actually gave you her number?"

He waved his hand at his friend with a smug smile. "She did, why is that fuckin' hard to believe? It wasn't like I cheated on her or anything. She left me, remember?"

"I remember." Doug stated recalling the rumours Krista had mention about why Murphey had returned to town. He didn't know if they were true, but either way if Jem found out, he'd do something stupid. "I fuckin' mopped up her tears! I was there through it all!"

"Don't fuckin' start with me!"

"You should've been there Jem!"

"Fuck you!" He snapped jumping up from the couch, and stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

When Murphey got home she made her way to the basement where she'd set up a red room for developing her prints. She started processing the photos from her day out in the city, even printing the ones she didn't like as she realized someone else might pay money for it. She turned on the timer and leaned against the counter, her thoughts instantly focusing on Jem.

Her gut told her going to the BBQ was a bad idea, but her heart longed to have Jem back in her life. Either way no path was clearly placed before her.


	6. BBQ

**Please leave your reviews. I feel I'm getting less and less each time. Your reviews are what keeps this story going. A huge thanks to Aveline Archer for the help.**

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**CHAPTER FIVE:**

**BBQ**

Murphey nervously stood on Jem's front porch with a six pack of beer, and knocked on the front door hoping he wouldn't mind that she was running late, she'd become distracted with developing a new batch of photos and lost track of time – as she usually did when she went into the red room.

When no one answered, she knocked again and mentally debated with herself. She had the moment to run away, and pretend she'd forgotten about the barbeque if she happened to bump into Jem again. Or she could stand up to her nerves, bite the bullet and spend the afternoon with the man she loved.

As she began to lose the battle with herself, the door finally swung open and she came face to face with Jem's tarty sister; Krista. The petite blonde rolled her eyes and swore under her breath, glancing over her shoulder.

"JEM! Your slut from high school is here!"

Murphey fought the urge to roll her eyes at Krista's immature attitude – something's never changed. The two had been at odds since they met, and Murphey would've thought the bimbo might've grown up by now.

She clutched the strap of her bag tighter, biting her tongue as she heard Jem's voice float through the house.

"Shut the fuck up Kris!" A few seconds he was at the door. Krista punched him in the shoulder and walked away rolling her eyes again as she left the two alone. "Bitch." He muttered and opened the door wider. "Since when are you late?"

Murphey smiled at his smartass comment. It was common knowledge to her friends that she'd rather be an hour early than five minutes late to anything. Being late was her pet peeve.

"Sorry, I was looking through some photos and lost track of time." She held up the six pack. "But I brought beer,"

"Doesn't matter, you're here now," he'd never admit it aloud, but he didn't expect her to turn up and give him some bullshit excuse to why they couldn't hang out. "Did you find what you wanted?"

"I did oddly enough," she dug a hand into her bag and pulled out an envelope. "I remember Dougie mentioned something about yours getting destroyed, and I thought you'd might like another one."

"Another what?" Jem asked taking the envelope and opened it, pulling out the photo and swallowed hard. It was the photo of his daughter, just moments after she'd passed so no tubes were sticking out of her little fragile body.

His forehead furrowed, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes as he remembered keeping that photo tucked under his pillow in prison, it was the one thing that got him through those dark nights when all he wanted was to be with his family.

"You don't have to keep it; I mean…y'know I probably should've asked…" Murphey cursed her nerves but Jem shook his head.

"I'll keep it." He clutched the photo tightly. "I fuckin' stabbed the prick afterwards, it's the only picture I had."

"Good thing I found that one then, huh?"

"Yeah, thanks."

An eerie silence fell between the two of them but for the first time since seeing each other again, it wasn't an awkward space but a comforting one where they both reflected the same feelings towards their baby.

Jem cleared his throat and clumsily rubbed his eyes. "You want a beer?" He placed the photo in his shirt pocket, against his heart where it rightly belonged.

"I'm good for now."

"Well I fuckin' need one," he muttered. "Take a seat, I'll be back." He walked out of the living room and Murphey sat on the old couch, gazing around the room that hadn't changed since that last time she'd sat in it.

Krista happened to walk into the living room moments later with some trampy friend of hers. "Where the fuck is Jem?" her blue eyes flashed at Murphey who shrugged. "And why are you fuckin' here anyway?"

"Jem invited me."

"Of course he fuckin' did." Krista rolled her eyes.

"Look Krista, isn't it about time you started acting your age? Fair enough you hate my guts, the feelings mutual, so why don't we stay away from each other and we'll be just fine,"

"Whatever." Krista scoffed and looked at her friend, nodding her head in Murphey's direction. "She's the reason Jem ain't fucking you Candy."

"You're kidding?"

Murphey's gaze widened slightly as Candy looked at her with disgust.

"He claimed to love her when we were kids, no one but Dougie believed that shit. And then Jem got her knocked her up, but the stupid fuckin' kid didn't have a chance…it died and she dumped his sorry ass." Krista told Murphey's life story like it was a soap opera. "She always thought she was better than us, and went off to a rich toonie college while my brother rotted in Walpole."

Murphey's hands clutched her knees, and she sucked in a deep breath, releasing it slowly until Krista laughed.

"Can you see those two with a baby? Fuckin' crazy!"

Murphey jumped up from the couch and stalked towards the door, flinging it open and ran down the steps knowing she should've trusted her gut. She only lived a few blocked away and could've caught a cab, but she didn't trust herself to talk with the emotions building up. Once she was home, safe and house she'd let the tears fall freely but her feet walked her in a different direction.

Jem walked out of his bedroom to find Krista and Candy laughing, but his gaze shifted around them looking for Murphey. "Where's Murph?"

"She just left," Krista smirked at Candy who giggled in response.

"What the fuck did you do to her?"

"I was telling Candy 'bout your fucked up relationship and your dead baby." She shrugged her shoulders.

"YOU FUCKIN' DID WHAT?" The women's smirks faded as Jem's hands tightened into hard fists, his blue eyes widening as his anger consumed him. "YOU DUMB SLUT! IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME, YOU AND SHYNE WOULD BE ON THE FUCKIN' STREET!" He released an angered sigh. "Y'know what? Pack your shit and get the fuck out of my house!"

"Where the fuck am I meant to go?"

"You figure it the fuck out!" Jem snapped at her, storming pass her and out the front door, glancing up and down the street in hopes of seeing Murphey's departing figure. He needed to know if she was okay. And then he realized there would be one place she'd go after Krista mentioning Kaylee. "The cemetery." He muttered and started jogging down the street.

He reached the cemetery in good time, knowing the quickest route from the gates as he came here every month. He tried to come more than that but working for the Florist and keeping a low profile proved harder than it seemed. He rounded a large marble headstone and saw Murphey in the distance, sitting in the grass beside Kaylee's headstone.

She didn't look up as he approached, or even when he sat beside her. "You okay?"

"I've had better and worse days."

"I'm sorry about Kris, that bitch shoots her mouth off all the time."

"It's not your fault." Murphey stared at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. "At least I knew you were the father, god knows who Shyne belongs too." Murphey had overheard Krista talk about Shyne in the bar when they would be there at the same time.

"She says Doug's the father."

Murphey glanced at Jem as he reached out and placed a hand upon hers. "I blamed you for Kaylee's death," she admitted quietly. "I thought if you hadn't gone to prison, maybe she'd still be alive and we'd be together."

"I thought that too."

She lightly shook her head lacing her fingers gently with Jem's. "I'm sorry, it's no one's fault. It just wasn't meant to be."

"Doesn't stop it from hurting any less."

"She'll always be a part of us Jem." They looked at each other with feeble smiles.

"Are you staying around for a while?"

"Yeah, there's no place like home." Murphey replied.


	7. Whole

**CHAPTER 6  
**

**Whole.**

Murphey arrived at the local bar where she was meeting her friends for a girl's night out, entering the smoky haze to see Claire and Mary Rhodes, her close friend and assistant that practically ran her business for her. It was Mary who suggested the night out after hearing about the fight with Krista, and the quiet moment Murphey shared with Jem.

She walked over to her friends; taking one of the empty seats noticing the girl's had already started with a couple of rounds of drinks.

"I thought you were going to bail last minute," Claire joked.

"After the night I had yesterday, I wasn't going to pass up the offer to get a few drinks into me." Murphey smiled.

After spending some time together at Kaylee's grave the night before, Jem walked Murphey home. She invited him in and made them a quick meal to make up for them missing the barbeque. They ate and talked, catching up on the past few years and Murphey even showed off some of recent photos she'd taken. It wasn't until they looked at a clock and realized the hour was later than expected, and Jem left. But Murphey couldn't sleep; she just laid in bed staring up at the ceiling thinking about everything and anything that always led back to Jem.

"So, what did happen last night? You were a bit vague about it," Mary stated sipping her vodka and cranberry drink.

"And I tried to call you but I kept getting voicemail." Claire added.

"It was nothing really; I just had a run-in with someone that I use to know." Murphey didn't miss the glance her friends shared. "It's not a big deal."

Mary lightly shook her head causing her blonde waves to frame her face. "Yeah, sounds like it. Anyway, it's my round, what do you girls want?"

"Tequila shots and beer," Murphey replied.

"Really? You wanna start there?" Mary asked as Murphey nodded. "Alright, Claire?"

"Same for me too."

"This is going to be messy," Mary muttered walking over to the bar.

* * *

After a few too many tequila shots, and an uncountable number of beer bottles, Murphey didn't have a care in the world and her problems from the day before were long forgotten.

"Y'know what's fuckin' amazing?"

"What?" Mary asked clinking her shot glass with Claire's as their hips moved to the beat of the music playing from the jukebox.

"I'm still fuckin' standing!" Murphey laughed glancing at her feet. "What the hell? Where the hell is lightweight Caroline?"

"She has to work tomorrow," Claire stated looking at Mary. "You're taking her home tonight,"

"Yeah, as long as she don't throw up on my shoes."

Murphey drained her beer, slamming the bottle upon the table as a new song started playing. "I fuckin' love this song!" She started singing and dancing along until tripping over her feet, falling backwards into a woman at the next table.

"Watch what you're fuckin' doing!" She shoved Murphey in the chest.

"I can fuckin' dance where I want!" Murphey glared at her, Claire and Mary moving around the table to back her up. "Maybe your fuckin' fat ass shouldn't be in the damn way!"

"This ain't no strip club honey –"

"No bitch! Your dog face would scare everyone away!"

The women stepped threateningly towards each other but the bartender walked over, coming between them. "I think you need to take your friend home."

"Alright, we're leaving." Mary and Claire each grabbed one of Murphey's arms and helped her from the bar, but once outside in the cool early morning breeze, she stumbled away from her friends.

"C'mon, there's a cab," Mary reached for her elbow dragging her towards the cab pulling up at the curb.

Murphey sat in the middle of the backseat, between Claire and Mary, not really listening to their conversation. She felt the cab slow and stop before Mary was tugging her out and onto the curb. She blindly allowed her friend to lead her into her apartment, and to her bedroom where she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Drink this," Mary stated reappearing moments later with a large glass of water. "I'm crashing on the couch, okay?"

"Okay." She mumbled slowly drinking the water while Mary pulled off her shoes, and turned down the sheets before stumbling out of the room.

Murphey finished the water and clumsily placed the glass upon the bedside table, rising from the bed and walking out of the bedroom. She discovered Mary already passed out on the couch, and tiptoed pass her grabbing the house keys off the kitchen counter and walked out the door. The breeze blew in her face, sobering her up as her hands rubbed her bare arms; her feet walking through the quiet streets to a destination she couldn't stop thinking about, no matter how much she drank.

* * *

She managed to arrive safely and knocked on the door hoping the person she wanted to see would open the door. She continued to knock until the door finally swung open.

"Murph? What the fuck? Are you okay?"

"I'm drunk, I almost got into a bar fight and I miss you Jem." She shivered on his front porch. "I fuckin' miss you Jem, so fuckin' much."

Jem's eyebrows rose staring at the shivering brunette. She wasn't the type to get into bar fights after drinking too much that was his trait but regardless of what lead her here, he outstretched his hand.

"Come in," Murphey placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her into the warmth. He led her through the living area and into his bedroom where he closed the door. "Are you okay?"

"I dunno," she squeezed his hand. "I don't know why I came here, but I wanted to see you…I needed to see you."

"You are fuckin' wasted," he muttered as she slipped her hand from his, awkwardly walking over to the bed where she dropped upon the tangled sheets. "You'll feel it in the morning."

"Can I stay here? I don't wanna be alone."

It was music to Jem's ears to hear those words come from Murphey. "Yeah, that's fine."

He grabbed one of his old Charlestown Townie t-shirts from the dresser and handed it to Murphey who instantly began tugging at her dress. Jem spun round, glimpsing over his shoulder to find her swaying slightly on the spot. He helped her into bed, climbing in beside her, planning on keeping his distance but she shifted across the sheets, snuggling against his side letting the heat of his body warm her. His familiar scent of cologne mixed with cigarettes and beer soon had her drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

But Jem lingered awake, staring down at the brunette beauty in his arms. He never thought he'd have this feeling again, or share a moment like this with Murphey. She looked so peaceful lost within her dreams, which was the opposite of what she was like during the day when her thoughts tortured her. Jem kissed her forehead and closed his eyes, feeling something he hadn't felt in a very long time – whole.


	8. Hangover

**Read and Review people... It seems I'm getting less every time. More drama coming your way soon...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 7:**

**Hangover.**

Murphey's eyes slowly opened as the light from the window blinded her. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she became aware of the dull ache in her head. She studied her surroundings and was surprised to find herself not in her room, or even her own house and then her memories flooded back. She remembered walking to Jem's house, some ramblings between them and then she was falling asleep in his arms.

"Oh god." She whispered and quickly glancing under the blankets to see herself somewhat clothed, and sighed gratefully.

She looked over at Jem's sleeping form beside her. His back was to her and snoring lightly, lost in a deep sleep. She crept out of bed careful not to wake him, taking off Jem's shirt and pulled her dress back on before slipping back into her shoes and snuck out of the bedroom after taking another glance at his sleeping form.

She shut the door behind her and went to sneak out of the house when someone cleared their throat. She clutched her chest as she got a fright and turned to see Doug at the kitchen table.

"Shit, you scared me,"

"Did you just come from Jem's room?" He asked making her glance at the floor as a warm blush formed upon her cheeks.

Even though nothing had happened between Murphey and Jem the thought of her sneaking out of Jem's room reminded her of when she was younger.

"Yes," she then looked at her old friend. "But it's not what you think. I got drunk and for some reason I walked all the way here and passed out."

"Okay," he replied slowly, not convinced she was telling the truth.

Murphey rolled her eyes and turned away, walking to the door. "Believe what you want Dougie. I need to get home."

She left the house and made the short walk home. As soon as she walked through the door to her house she was met with an angry Mary.

"Where the hell were you?" She frowned at the hung over Murphey, folding her arms across her chest. "I go to wake you up and your bed is fuckin' empty!"

"I was at Jem's," Murphey sighed walking past her and into the small kitchen.

"Excuse me? I must be still drunk because I thought you just said you spent the night with Jem!"

Mary followed her, watching as Murphey grabbed the pain killers off the counter and got herself a glass of water and took them, trying to ignore the accusation in Mary's tone.

"Not like that you dork. I was clothed, if you want to call underwear and his shirt clothed and surprisingly he had pants on."

"Jem wears pants to bed now?" She frowned, recalling the couple of weeks she's spent at Murphey's house when they were teenagers. Jem had stayed over one night, and walked out of Murphey's bedroom with absolutely nothing on. "Thank god for that," she lightly shook her blonde waves. "So nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened. Now I'm going to shower, and make myself look human again." Murphey stalked out of the kitchen and made her way to the bathroom.

* * *

Jem woke alone, and wasn't surprised to discover Murphey gone. He wanted to wake up to her face and know the night before hadn't been a cruel dream. He sighed, and climbed out of bed, walking out of the bedroom without pulling on a shirt over his bare chest. He found Doug and Krista in the kitchen, both doing what they usually did in the morning.

"What was Murphey doing sneaking out of your room this morning?" Doug asked seeing his best friend walk to the fridge.

"She stayed over."

"Why the fuck was that upper class bitch doing here?" Krista frowned bring herself into the conversation while feeding Shyne.

"None of your fuckin' business," Jem stood up, finding nothing of interest in the fridge and frowned back at her. "You don't own this house, so stop fuckin' bossing me around!" He already regretted letting Krista move back into the house, because she'd done nothing but bitch about Murphey.

"Why do you bother with her? She left you to rot in prison, she broke your heart –"

"Stop fuckin' playing! You don't care, you're fuckin' pissed cause you think you're gonna lose Doug! Well fuck you Krista! I don't need your shit."

Krista glared back at him and decided to change the subject for the worse. "What happened last night? Did she fuck you and leave?"

"Fuck off Krista!" Jem snapped to her, about ready to smack her one just to get his point across. "You know nothing and never will." He then turned to Doug. "Nothing happened between us."

He then turned and walked out of the kitchen not wanting to hear any more of their thoughts, or their opinions. He slammed his bedroom door and grabbed his stashed from the bedside table. He needed an escape from the bullshit drama, and this was the only method that could make his problems fade away.


	9. Jealous

**You guys know what to do. Read and review...  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER 8  
**

**Jealous  
**

It had been four days since Murphey woke up in Jem's bed and snuck out of his house, but they hadn't spoken in that time choosing to focus on their lives, rather than awkward conversations. Murphey kept herself busy continuing her photography and helping Mary grow their business, and Jem stuck to what he did best – getting high and committing robberies with his childhood friends and a newbie the florist had picked up for them.

"You should do more black and whites," Mary remarked shifting through Murphey's latest prints while the two of them hung out in the backroom.

"They're more difficult because the lighting has to be spot on."

"But they're beautiful. I'd love black and white for my wedding photos."

"Well you won't get married if you don't start dating."

Mary rolled her brown eyes, setting the photos out on the bench. "I'm sick of dating assholes, and that's the only type of man Charlestown produces."

"You're in denial M, you love the bad boys," the corners of her red painted lips curved as the front door bell went off, alerting them that someone had entered the shop. "I'll go,"

Murphey waltzed into the main shop with a wide smile that faded as she discovered her customer was Krista's stripper friend; Candy. It took every ounce of restraint for her to be nice. "Can I help you with something?"

"Krista said you take photos," Candy stated looking round the shop, frowning at the frames on the wall and smacked the gum she chewed on.

"So you're just here to confirm it?"

"Nah, my sister is marrying her deadbeat boyfriend and Krista said you'd give me a discount, 'cause we know each other."

"You don't know me and there'll be no discount."

"Huh? Why not?"

"I only give discounts to friends and family. I have no family and you're nowhere close to being my friend."

Candy's gaze narrowed and she folded her arms beneath her pushed up cleavage. "Y'know what? Fuck you! I've got what I want anyways,"

"And what's that exactly?" Murphey asked releasing a long breath to keep her anger in check while the whore tried to press her buttons.

"I'm in Jem's bed every night, and he fucks me better than he ever did you!"

"Yeah? That's nice."

"Thought you'd be jealous?" Candy remarked smugly.

"Can you even spell jealous?" Mary walked out of the backroom, carrying an armload of frames that she set on the counter before coming to my side.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm the girl that will smash your trailer trash face if you don't leave my friend alone!" Mary stepped closer towards Candy, not afraid of a smack down especially when it came in the form of protecting her friends. "So take your disgusting piece of ass out of this shop before I throw it out!"

Murphey's eyebrows rose as Candy's mouth clamped shut and she turned on her heel, stalking out of the shop.

"What was that slut doing in here?"

"She wanted me to do her sister's wedding,"

Mary chuckled, "We don't do shotgun weddings."

"She said she's sleeping with Jem," Murphey added quietly, almost as an afterthought, even though in her mind all she could see was the two of them together.

"You don't believe her do you?" Murphey didn't answer and Mary wrapped an arm round her shoulders, gently shaking her. "Jem's a lot of things, but desperate isn't one of them,"

"I'm sure there were plenty of girls after me -"

"Maybe so, but you're the only one he ever loved." Mary stated firmly. "If it bothers you that much you know what you have to do," she pulled away, her heels tapping against the wooden floors as she walked over to the counter.

"And what's that M?"

"Tell him you're still madly in love with him."

Mary made it sound so simple, as if words would solve years of heartache. But Murphey wasn't buying it, and she certainly wasn't going to make the first move.

* * *

The next hour was quiet. Only two people came into the store, and they were only browsing. Mary had disappeared on her lunch break, only after Murphey practically pushed her out the door giving Murphey the chance to sort through some more photos in the back room until the bell went off again. She walked out front where she saw Jem standing there.

"Jem!" she said surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Murph," he smiled.

She walked over noticed his blue eyes were bloodshot and slightly glazed over. "Are you high right now?"

"So what?" He snapped. "Don't fuckin' judge me!"

"I'm not judging you I was asking," she immediately jumped to defend herself. "Now why are you here?"

"I haven't talked to you in a couple days." He shrugged his shoulders.

Murphey found something to keep herself distracted instead of giving into the impulse to touch him. "We've obviously both been busy."

"Do you want to grab a drink with me tonight?"

"Don't you have something better to do, than hanging out with an ex who people think they can get discounts from because they're fucking you." She frowned even though her back was to him.

"What are you talking about?" Jem's tone shook as the calming effect of the drugs wore off, and the rage of accusation pumped through his veins. Everything sounded cryptic, but the bottom line was, she was blaming him for something and he didn't like it.

"Next time you see your sister tell her I'm not giving discounts to her whore friends! Especially if they're fucking you!"

"Who forgot to pull the stick out of your ass today?"

"Well it was out of my fuckin' ass until your slut girlfriend came and put it back up there!" Murphey frowned again turning back around to face him.

"I don't have a fuckin' girlfriend!" Jem frowned now defending himself.

"Candy seems to think she is."

"Candy's a fuckin' liar who's been trying to fuck me since I got out of Walpole but I ain't that desperate!"

"James, who you fuck has nothing to do with me but it doesn't give them the right to come into my shop and rub it in my face," she replied calmly.

Jem went to say something but an elderly couple came into the store.

"Now I suggest you leave." She told him then walked over to the couple.

Jem sighed. The only time Murphey called him James was when she was angry at him. He knew there was no point in trying to talk it out with her.

He left the shop and made his way to the bar he always found himself at. He saw the last person he wanted to see right now sitting at the bar with his sister. He walked up to them and pulled Candy back. "What the fuck did you say to Murph?"

"Jem, back the fuck off. She hasn't done anything wrong!" Krista said standing in front of Jem blocking him from Candy.

"You back the fuck off and tell your girl to stop running her mouth before someone else stops it for her." Jem threatened.

"You don't scare me Jem," Candy said from behind Krista.

"That's why you're fuckin' hiding behind my whore sister." Jem snarled. "You stay the fuck away from Murphey and if I find out you've been running your mouth to her, I'll make sure my sister isn't around to protect your stripper ass!"

Candy just smiled smugly at the Charlestown criminal. "You better be careful about what you say. You might just end back up at Walpole."

"Fuck you." He said before walking back out deciding he didn't want a drink anymore.


	10. The Reason for Returning

**Please read and review. It's what keeps me writing.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**The Reason for Returning.**

Murphey was having a quiet night in after a busy day of developing photos and putting them into frames. She had a 6 pack of beer in the fridge and had ordered a pizza. She had put on a movie and sat down with a beer and the pizza.

She hadn't spoken or seen Jem in a month. But what troubled her more, was that her friendship with Claire had gone down the drain after Murphey drunkenly flirted with the guy she'd been seeing. It didn't matter how many times Murphey apologized, Claire wouldn't hear a word of it and Caroline took her side, while Mary took Murphey's, believing everyone was overreacting.

The movie was almost over when there was a knock at the door. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, having no idea who would've been showing up at this late hour. It can't have been Mary, because she would've waltzed right in. Murphey groaned and climbed off the couch, and answered the door, shocked to discover her ex-boyfriend standing there.

"Zach? What the hell are you doing here?" She asked frowning at him.

"I wanted to see you." The tall, burly blonde smirked at her and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"I don't want to see you!" She glared at him and went to shut the door. He slammed his hand against the door sending it flying back, hitting her in the shoulder. "What the fuck? You asshole!" She spat at him.

"I just wanted to see you again and you're the one who's being a bitch about it!" He growled.

"There's a reason for that and you damn well know it," she slowly backed away from him. "You made a huge mistake coming to Charlestown!"

"I'm not leaving until we talk." He told her.

"Leave now!" She said standing her ground but it made no difference; he stalked forward and grabbed a handful of her hair, tugging her against him.

"I'm not leaving…not until I get what I want." He ran the tip of his nose along her jaw, making her squirm and shift her head away.

"Get off me!"

Zach raised a free hand to her throat, squeezing the delicate flesh when the door was kicked in and Jem stormed in. He ripped Zach away from her, and she jumped away as Jem tackled him.

She watched in shock as Jem pounded his fist into Zach's face. "Stay the fuck away from her!"

When blood started flying, Murphey pulled herself out of her shocked state and ran to Jem's side, using all her strength to pull the shorter man off Zach. "Jem! Stop! He's not worth it!"

Zach muttered under his breath, a smug smirk tugging at his lips before Jem lunged at him again.

"JEM! Please!" Murphey begged struggling to hold his arm, even though a part of her wouldn't have minded watching him beat Zach into a fine pulp. She managed to pull Jem away, allowing Zach to climb to his feet.

"She's not worth it pal! Trust me!"

Jem moved quickly, snatching his gun from the pack of his pants, levelling the barrel with Zach's forehead.

"Not so fuckin' tough now are you? If I see you near Murphey I won't fuckin' hesitate to pull this trigger now fuck off!" Jem scowled and Zach backed away, quickly turning on his heel to leave the apartment.

Once the door had closed behind him Murphey burst into tears, and Jem set his gun down and pulled her into his arms.

"Who the fuck was that guy?" She lightly shook her head, clinging to his shirt. "C'mon Murph, tell me."

"I came back because of him." She whispered and pulled away.

"What do you mean?"

"A year after BU I met him, he seemed like a nice guy so I agreed to go out with him." She paused and released a shaky breath. "After a while he started getting possessive, he didn't like me talking to other men and then he caught me talking to an old friend, he went nuts and smacked me," she glanced away as more tears ran down her face. "He started doing it more often, for little things and then…"

"And then what?" Jem asked quietly.

"I ended up in the emergency room, I couldn't see out of one eye –"

"Motha' fucker," Jem muttered.

"He'd found the locket you gave me. I left him after that and came back here."

"You could've told me."

Murphey shook her head, "No I couldn't. You would've killed him, and he's not worth you going back to prison."

"I should've fuckin' shot him." He mumbled under his breath.

Murphey rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the freezer. When she turned round, Jem was right behind her. "I got…" She trailed off as their blue eyes met, and he took the ice pack from her grasp, tossing it aside.

He raised a hand to her cheek, gently stroking the smooth skin with his thumb. "I admit there were girls after you, but Candy wasn't one of them." He spoke softly, yet every word carried between them. "But since I saw you at the bar, there's been no one in my bed, I swear to fuckin' god."

Murphey heard his words but the truth was held in his eyes. She leaned close, pressing her lips against his, feeling him stiffen for a moment before his lips moulded against hers. He lifted her up as if she weighed nothing and sat her on the counter, holding her close to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands went to her lower back, pulling her even closer to him.

They soon pulled away for air but remained close. "I still fuckin' love you, Murph. I never stopped."

"I still love you too, Jem." She told him.

Before she knew it, Jem was crushing her lips with his own. He lifted her up off the counter and made his way to her bedroom. Even though he had only been there once, he still remembered the places she showed him in her house. They were soon between the sheets making love for the first time since before Jem had been arrested.


	11. The Next Morning

**I can't thank my beta Aveline Archer enough for the help she has and is giving me. Please Read and Review...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1O**

**The Next Morning**

Jem woke beside another warm body, his eyes opening to discover Murphey sleeping peacefully next to him. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips, her worries from the night before far from her thoughts and the memory of their bodies intertwined made him smile and roll on his side to watch as she woke.

"How long have you been awake?" She yawned, her lashes fluttering revealing the blue eyes he loved.

"Not long," she snuggled closer and he wrapped his arms round her warm body. "Are you sure you wanna be with me again?"

"I'm sure, I love you Jem," she sweetly kissed him.

"I love you too."

"I'll never get sick of you saying that," she smiled. "Are you hungry?"

"Fuckin' starvin' but I don't wanna eat right now," his lips twitched bringing Murphey closer towards him. She giggled as he sucked her neck and when he rolled her onto her back the annoying shrill of a phone ringing interrupted their intimate moment. "Fuck."

"Is that mine or yours?" Murphey asked running her fingers over his shoulders.

"Mine." He climbed off her and began shifting through the clothes scattered about the room and found his vibrating phone. The lit up screen revealed Fergie's name and he inwardly groaned, holding the phone to his ear. "Yeah?"

_"I need ta see you boys."_

"Why?"

_"I've got a job for the lot of ya."_

"Alright, I'll be there." Jem lowered the phone and glanced up at Murphey as she sat up, clutching the sheet against her chest.

"What's wrong?"

"The Florist needs to see me."

"You're still working for him?"

"Yeah," he grabbed his clothes and pulled them on before sending a quick text message to Doug. "I'll see you later." He added leaning over and placing a quick kiss on her lips before leaving.

* * *

He arrived at Town Flowers the same time as Doug did, both of them staring at each other for a long moment before Doug approached the topic of the night before.

"Where were you last night?"

"With Murph." Jem replied sharply, his tone indicating he wasn't in the mood to discuss her, not when the Florist was waiting to see them. They waited for Dez and Gloansy to pull up and Jem sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Fergie was out front pruning roses when they walked in. "You boys took your time."

"You woke me up when you rang." Jem lied wanting to keep Murphey out of whatever Fergie had planned for him. He didn't want the old Irish bastard knowing she was back in his life; god knows what he'd do to her if he found out.

"I got a job for you lot." He told them standing up from where he sat and led them into the back room. Doug and Jem sat down not saying anything, letting Fergie continue. "Someone owes me a lot of money," the old man told them.

It was nothing new. Someone always owed him money. He never went into detail about who owed him the money and Doug and Jem didn't really care. They just worried about what the pay rate was for each robbery.

"I know he has a shit load of money kept in the safe at the Cambridge Merchant Bank." Fergie told them. "I need you guys to break into it and take as much money as you can."

"What do we get?" Doug asked.

"A shit load of money."

"Do we have a deadline?" Doug questioned again.

"Just do your research and keep me in the loop." Fergie told him.

"Can we go now?" Jem asked resting his hands on his knees to stop them nervously bouncing on the spot.

"Ya, get the fuck out of here."

"You going back to Murph's?" Doug asked as they walked out of the shop, stopping by his truck.

"Yeah."

"You gonna tell her what's happening?"

"No. I wanna keep her out of it. The last thing she needs is to be pulled back into this bullshit." Jem said.

"If she's back with you, she's already in deep shit." Doug said.

"No she fuckin' ain't. If she doesn't know what's happening then she's not a part of it." Jem frowned even though Doug was right; there was no hiding from Fergie.

"She'll find out one way or another man, just be careful, you don't want to lose her again." Doug said then got back into his truck, leaving Jem to make the short trip back to Murphey's place.

* * *

He walked inside finding Murphey sitting at the table in the small dining room, sipping on a cup of tea. She looked like she was wrapped up in her thoughts and hadn't noticed him coming in. "You okay?" He asked making her jump a little.

"I got a phone call just after you left," she said looking at him as he sat across from her.

"What about?" He asked nervously, hoping it wasn't someone to do with what was going on with Fergie.

"Mary called saying the store was broken into and vandalized. Half the photos and frames have been destroyed and most of my red room equipment has been stolen. Police are there going through everything. I should be down there with Mary but I'm scared about seeing the mess." She sighed holding onto the cup with both hands.

"Fuck, I can go down there with you now if you want me too?"

"Don't you have to do something for Fergie?"

"Not today." He said.

"I should get dressed then." She said standing up and tipped the rest of her drink out. That's when Jem realized she was in his t-shirt he left behind and her underwear. He couldn't help but stare and try not to do her right there and then.

"Just put some pants and shoes on then we can go." He told her. She nodded her head and walked to her bedroom. Jem got up and walked into the living room.

Murphey walked back out of her room, still wearing Jem's shirt and now a pair of track pants and sneakers. She pulled on her jacket and grabbed her keys as Jem met her at the front door. They left the house and made their way to Murphey's store. Jem could tell she was devastated about the news of her store. He hoped there was something he could do.


	12. The Store

**Just a fill in chapter. I'll try to make the next one a little more exciting. Please read and review.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

**The Store**

Murphey and Jem arrived at the store discovering all windows had be shattered, almost as if a car had driven straight through the shop. What unsettled Murphey the most was the alarm system had been hacked and disable. It looked like a professional robbery.

She found Mary leaning against the counter, hugging her trembling frame while police still wandered around. Mary put her lifesavings into the shop, believing in Murphey's dream and wanting to pursue another career for herself, so it wasn't just Murphey who'd lost everything. She ran over, making Mary look up and open her arms so the two friends could hug.

"I'm so sorry," Mary whispered.

"It's not your fault. I'm just grateful neither of us were here." She stated pulling away and looking around the shop. "How much is ruined?" Murphey asked completely forgetting Jem had come with her until she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders protectively.

"All the photos that on display, frames, canvas prints. The till is empty. Your red room is completely trashed, and all the expensive equipment is missing. The only thing they didn't ruin was the photo albums behind the counter." Mary ran a shaky hand through her hair.

"Probably didn't see them." Murphey was relieved she still had those.

"Dino's here. He wants to talk to ya,"

"Thought they would have sent a better cop," Murphey rolled her eyes and went to find Dino. She remembered him as the guy who turned his back on everyone when he became a cop.

After a brief discussion, answering the questions he had about the store, and her whereabouts. She went back to where Jem and Mary were talking quietly. "We're going to have to file for insurance and close up until we find a new location." She told her best friend.

"We can't stay here?" Mary frowned.

"I don't want to." Murphey sighed. "We've been targeted once; no doubt we'll be targeted again. Insurance should pay for the damages and we can sell the store…buy a new store with the money we get I guess."

"Will they let you know when they catch the guy who did this?" Jem asked.

"Dino said he'll keep me in the loop. I don't trust him but I guess he's doing his job." She said grabbing the albums from behind the counter not caring if they were going to be used as evidence or not. They were all she had left for now. "Do you two want to go out for lunch? I need to get away from here." She asked looking between Mary and Jem.

"I have to go over a few things with Doug, but I'll see you later." Jem told her.

She sighed knowing it had something to do with the florist. She hated the fact Jem and Doug still worked for him but she kept her mouth shut knowing she couldn't stop Jem for working for the Irishman. "Keep out of trouble okay."

"I always fuckin' do," Murphey raised an eyebrow at him as he smiled. "I fuckin' will okay!" he said trying to sound more convincing.

"Okay! Call me when you're done." He gave her a quick kiss before walking away.

Mary went with Murphey to lunch at a small café a couple of blocks away from their store. They ordered their food and drinks and sat down at one of the tables outside, trying to take some comfort in the nice day.

"So you and Jem, huh?" Mary said looking over at her best friend. "When did that happen?"

"Last night." Murphey told her. "Sounds cheesy but he saved me from Zach."

"Zach came to Charlestown?" Mary asked confused. She had met Zach once when she'd gone to visit Murphey outside of Boston. "He's brave."

"And stupid. Damn Jem pulled his fuckin' gun on him."

Mary chuckled as a waiter brought over their meals and drinks, "Some things don't change."

"I'm grateful he came when he did. God knows what Zach would have done to me if he hadn't," Murphey sighed running a hand through her hair.

"If Zach found out where you are do you think he would have trashed the store?" Mary asked.

"He's a technician, he knows how to disengage alarms, and I would think he is capable of it but as much as I hate the fuckin' prick, I don't want to make accusations. For all we know it could have been a random robbery." Murphey said then took a bite of her sandwich.

"But the way it was trashed, it looked personal." Mary pointed out.

"Jem seemed nervous when I told him but he would tell me if he knew anything about it, even if Fergie was behind it." Murphey said.

"He's still working for Fergie?" Mary asked surprised.

"Yeah, he rang this morning, interrupting us lying in bed. Jem had to leave right away." Murphey sighed again now wishing her and Jem had stayed in bed all morning.

"You two just lying in bed, that's bullshit," Mary joked.

Murphey shook her head. She knew Mary was right even though she was joking. When Jem and Murphey had been together when they were younger they could never keep their hands to themselves. Now they had more restraint.

Murphey and Mary finished lunch and went back to Murphey's place to sort out an insurance claim and how much it was going to cost to fix the damage of the store. After doing everything Murphey flipped through the albums with Mary.

She still couldn't get over the fact the store had been trashed. She didn't know what to do or where to go. Her heart was crushed. She had the urge to give up on her dream and start a new one. She had Jem back now. She would be a good housewife, a mother even one day. But then the thought of being stuck at home all day everyday doing housework scared her. She needed to do something with her life rather than just sit back. She'd stick to her photography, open up another store with Mary, book appointments so she could take photos for weddings, birthdays and any other celebration that involved photos. She could set up a little studio for when people wanted family or friends portraits done. She knew deep down she couldn't give up her dream or her business. Apart from Jem and Mary, it's all she had to live for.


	13. Insurance and a Suprise

**This will be a shock to all those who thought Jem was behind the robbery. Big thanks to my BETA once again. Please read and review...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

**Insurance and a Surprise.**

_"You knew the man that robbed your store. We can't prove if you set it up or not."_

"Okay I admit I knew the man that robbed the store. He is my ex-boyfriend who beat the crap out of me on a daily basis until I left! Why the fuck would I go back to him and get him to break into the store and vandalize it? I'm not that fuckin' stupid!" Murphey's temper begun to rise and so did her voice. "You fuckin' assholes just don't want to pay me the insurance money but guess fuckin' what? You have just lost a good customer that never missed a payment or anything and I am going to get my damn money back, jackass!"

She'd discovered a couple days after the robbery that her ex-boyfriend was the one who broke into the store. Not only that, but he'd been stalking her for the past three weeks, watching her go about her business.

She slammed down the phone on the table after hanging up.

"Everything okay?" she heard Jem ask her from behind.

"No. The insurance company isn't going to pay out because they think I had something to do with the robbery!"

"That's fuckin' bullshit. Did they read what the cops sent them?"

"Apparently it doesn't matter. Because I know Zach, they presume I had something to do with the whole fuckin' thing." She frowned. "Now I have to tell Mary the bad news, she's going to hate me." She groaned.

"How the fuck is Mary going to hate you?"

"She fronted the money, all her lifesavings were in this store and in the belief I could make something of it. I need to see her!"

"I'll take you."

Murphey grabbed her bag and let Jem drive her over to Mary's apartment, an old warehouse converted into stunning lofts that overlooked the Charlestown Navy Yard. She'd lived there since graduating high school, as her uncle had been the real estate agent. The idea of telling Mary she might lose the place she loved most in the world scared Murphey.

She and Jem pulled up in front of the building behind a black Avalanche, and she used her key to access the front door, making their way up to the third floor. She didn't bother knocking and waltzed right in.

"Mary!" she paused in the middle of the sun soaked living area noticing the handful of beer bottles on the coffee table.

There was a burst of giggling and then the bedroom door flew open revealing Doug doing up his jeans. He looked up and swore under his breath.

"Someone had a good night," Jem chuckled but stopped as Murphey shot him a dark look.

Mary appeared moments later, curling her arms round Doug's waist as she pressed herself against his back. "How about breakfast?" When he didn't answer she shifted her gaze over his shoulder and she quickly pulled away from Doug, stepping out from behind him to nervously adjust her satin robe. "Murph!"

"We need to talk."

"I'll grab my stuff." Doug muttered heading back into the bedroom, only to return with his shoes on. He tugged his shift over his bare chest and kissed Mary's cheek, before walking over and grabbing Jem by the arm. The two of them walked out of the loft leaving the two friends alone.

"What the hell Mary!"

She walked over to the coffee table and began collecting up the beer bottles. "What do you want me to say?"

"Start with how you and Doug ended up in bed!"

"I think it's pretty obvious," she waved the bottles at me before dumping them in the bin. "And you know I always had a crush on Doug, last night he finally noticed me."

"Come on!" Murphey groaned.

"Don't judge me! You've been pining for Jem all these years!"

"I love Jem!"

"And you don't think I could be in love with Doug?" She snapped and then went quiet, leaning back against the kitchen counter as Murphey realized the truth in her words.

"I'm sorry,"

"Don't be," Mary ran a hand back through her loose blonde waves. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the store, and the insurance money."

"So?"

"They won't pay out." Mary's eyebrows rose. "They think I had something to do with the robbery…I'm so sorry Mary."

She walked over to Murphey and grabbed her arms, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "You are damn lucky to have me kid."

"What?" Murphey frowned.

"My insurance will cover the damage."

"Your insurance?"

Mary nodded, "If I've learnt one thing from growing up in Charlestown is that you insure every god damn thing you own."

"You are fuckin' joking right?"

"Nope." She smiled and hugged Murphey.

"I'll pay every cent back, I promise." Murphey told her.

Mary smiled. "This is what best friends are for, helping friends in need, so don't worry about it."

"Next time I am paying you back every last cent." Murphey said giving her longest best friend a hug.

"Just promise me I'll be your maid of honour when you and Irish get married." Mary laughed returning the hug. Irish had always been her nickname for Jem because of how proud he was of his Irish heritage.

Murphey laughed as she let go of her friend. "Can you really see Jem in a tux standing at the end of an aisle waiting for me in a white dress?"

"No, it would be city hall, filling out the paper work." Mary joked.

Murphey laughed again. "I better get going. I still have some shit to sort through with changing insurance companies."

"Good luck with that."

"I'll need it."

Murphey said goodbye to her friend and walked out of the loft and straight into Jem's arms. She loved how being in Jem's arms made everything seem less stressful. She knew it was where she belonged. Getting married to him didn't seem like such a bad idea now Mary had mentioned it. She wouldn't care if it was at city hall or not. As long as she was with him.


	14. The Job

**A/N: I will not be updating until next week sometime. I will be away at my besties house until next week. I will try to update as much as I can when I get back. I also did this chapter differently. It's from Mary and Doug's side of things. Hope you enjoy. Remember to read and review! It means a lot to me when you do!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 13: **

**The Job**

"Dougie, you here?"

Doug heard Jem call out. He was in his bedroom with Mary as she spent the night since Jem was with Murphey. If he didn't get up now, Jem would storm in and probably pitch a fit.

"I'll be right back," Doug told Mary as he got out of bed and put some clothes on. He walked out of his room pulling his shirt on and closed the door behind him. He saw Jem standing by the couch with his hands in his pockets. "What's up?" he asked his oldest and longest friend.

"Florist said we're good for Friday?" Jem told him.

"Okay, is that all?" Doug asked him looking from Jem to his bedroom door nervously.

"No," Jem sighed seemingly oblivious to his friend's nervousness.

While in the bedroom, Mary got out of bed finding one of Doug's shirts and her underwear and pulled them on. She walked to the door and pressed her ear against it hearing the conversation between the two men.

"Murph's insurance company is being a real pain towards her. He fuckin' ex just got a restraining order and some bullshit fuckin' community service hours. She's freakin' out even though Mary's insurance covered it and he doesn't have to pay a fuckin' cent, which he should," Jem told Doug.

"So what do you want to do?" Doug asked instantly regretting it when he heard Jem's answer.

"I want to fuckin' kill the guy."

"And you go back to Walpole. I don't think Murph will like that," Doug said. "She's going to kill you herself if you end back at that fuckin' dump."

"We'll see what happens Friday, see how much money we get from this job," Jem said.

"Have you told Murph yet?" Doug asked him.

Jem frowned getting annoyed by the question Doug asked him every time he saw his friend. "No, she's not going to know. I want to keep her out of this."

"She'll find out" He said looking at Jem.

"Only if someone tells her!"

"She's going to find out you're still robbing trucks and banks and sniffing coke," Doug frowned at him.

He rolled his eyes as he moved into the kitchen. "She already knows I still get high."

"And how do you think she feels about that? Put armed robbery onto that."

"She's never judged me for it, why would she start now?" Jem glared at Doug. "She loves me; I love her, that's all that fuckin' matters!"

"If you're going to be honest, be honest about everything," Doug told him.

"Don't fuckin' talk to me about honesty! You're still fucking Murph's best friend, even though you said it was a one-time thing," Jem scoffed grabbing a beer out of the fridge.

"Alright let's drop it and just think about this job."

"You got everything we need to know right?" Jem asked.

"I found out who drives the truck, when the bank opens and closes, when the safe opens and closes, who the bank manager is, I've got everything." Doug sighed.

Jem was OCD when it came to their jobs. That was mainly because he didn't want to go back to Walpole. "We can do a little surveillance first, make sure we have the times down," Jem said.

"I've got it covered. We can do surveillance tomorrow," Doug told him looking nervously from Jem to his bedroom door again.

"What's up?" Jem asked noticing his look on his face.

"Nothing, why?" Doug asked.

"You look like you're waiting for something" he asked.

"I'm waiting for this conversation to be finished so I can go get some more sleep," Doug frowned at him, his defences going up.

"Go then, were done," he said.

"Are you sure?" Doug asked him.

"Yes, I'm fuckin' sure," he snapped.

"Alright then," Doug said turning and walked back into his room. He saw Mary quietly gathering her clothes from about the room and pulling them on. A frown appearing on her forehead as she glanced up, and he realized she'd heard everything. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah,"

"Jem's still out there."

"He already knows we're fucking so what difference does it make if he sees me?" She stated, the hint of anger creeping into her tone.

"Come on Mar, don't be like that," Doug said watching her as she roughly pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"I have things to do, so call me later okay," she told him as she snatched up her bag, heading towards the door.

"Mary," he grabbed her attention by reaching for her hand, making her face him so he could lightly kiss her, holding her in place by raising a hand to her face. "I'll call you later," he smiled and she curtly nodded, opening the door and slipped out.


	15. Arguments

**A/N: So it is obvious I am back. Thanks to those who have left great reviews. I think this is the longest story I have written and I still don't see an end anytime soon. Please let me know if I am boring you guys. Thanks again to my Beta, Avenline Archer. I owe a lot to her. I am sure you guys probably wouldn't enjoy this as much if she didn't have such awesome Beta skills. Laura, I will pay you back for all the help you have given me so far and in the future. You rock. Everyone else, if you haven't read her stories I suggest you do. They are so much better than mine. Sorry if this AN is a little long. I just wanted to thank my beta for really helping me out and thanks for the 50+ reviews. Now you guys know what to do. Go ahead and read and then leave those awesome reviews. Oh also. If some of it isn't accurate please don't correct it. I tried my best and you correcting it will only make me feel disappointed and I have already felt disappointed in myself enough these last two weeks.**

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**CHAPTER 14:**

**Arguments.**

Jem walked into the old auditorium hearing one of his friends say something. He knew they were talking about him. It only confirmed it when Albert 'Gloansy' McGloan opened his big mouth.

"Hey, speak of the fuckin' devil. You made it. Take the scenic route?"

"We got a problem." Jem said ignoring what his friend said.

"What?" Doug asked confused.

"Have a look." Jem said holding up the driver's license of the hostage he took while robbing the Cambridge Merchant bank with the three men in front of him. It went off without a hitch before Jem made the stupid mistake of taking a hostage, but he didn't like the way the girl kept looking at all of them.

"So what?" Doug said taking a brief look at the license as he took it from Jem.

"What's the matter? Let me see that fuckin' thing." Gloansy said taking the license from Doug. He looked at the license and noticed what Jem was talking about. "Oh, shit!"

"Seen the fuckin' address on there?" Jem mumbled.

"This bitch lives four blocks away from here." Gloansy pointed out.

Jem scratched the back of his head and then slammed his hands against the brick wall behind him. "Yeah, I know where we are Gloans."

"We're gonna see this bitch on streets every day?"

"She didn't see anything." Doug said interrupting the two.

The youngest of their crew; Desmond 'Dez' Elden spoke up after seeing where everything was going, "Jesus! You sure?"

"Taking her for a ride didn't help." Doug said turning to frown at Jem

"Yeah fuck. All right, I'm gonna handle it." Jem never really cared about how much trouble he got into unless it involved him going back to prison, the thrill was too much to resist.

"How the fuck are you gonna handle this?" Gloansy asked looking between the two.

"I'm gonna stalk her like a fuckin' A car, we'll find out,"

"Find out what?" Dez asked cautiously.

"If she needs to get scared."

Doug rolled his eyes. "She's already scared,"

"Well maybe not scared enough," Jem stated staring down at the licence.

"Are you gonna take care of it?" Gloansy asked.

"I'll do it." Doug said snatching the license back from Jem.

"What are you gonna do this?" Jem asked as Doug glared at him.

"Cause you're the reason we're having this conversation."

"Yeah, but I'm gonna get it done."

"What are you gonna get done? Huh? You're gonna get picked up for intimidating a witness. You walk within a hundred feet of her that's ten years. Okay, you got two strikes against you already they're gonna bury you under the fucking jail!"

Jem glared at the man he called his brother, hating the way he treated him like a child. "I'm fucking out of here."

"Where the fuck are you going Jem?" Doug asked as Jem started to leave the auditorium.

"Where I know I'm fuckin' wanted and needed," Jem yelled walking out the door.

* * *

It didn't take long for Jem to get to Murphey's. He walked inside to discover Murphey sitting on her couch flipping through a magazine. She looked up and smiled at him when he sat down next to her. "Are you okay?" She asked when noticing something was wrong.

"I'm okay," he said leaning against her between her legs, resting his head on her chest.

"And I'm the Queen of England," she stated sarcastically.

"Does that make me the king?"

"Jem," she sighed. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing is wrong, okay," he told her. "I just didn't get enough fuckin' sleep last night."

"Do you want to have a nap?"

"What am I? Fuckin' 70?"

"I just thought you might want to catch up on some sleep. You don't need to be a fuckin' asshole about it," she said pushing him off her and got off the couch storming into the kitchen.

Jem rolled his blue eyes not bothering to follow her. "Don't need to snap back at me like a fuckin' bitch."

Murphey heard him, stalking back into the living room as her own blue eyes narrowed darkly at him. "You wanna say that again?"

Jem didn't care if Murphey got mad at him. He didn't care how many people were angry with him today. He was in one of those moods where he knew how much of a disappointment he could be and the only way to deal with it was to mentally switch off.

"I said you don't need to snap back at me like a fuckin' bitch!" He repeated.

"I wasn't the fuckin' one coming in here with a bad fuckin' mood! Seriously what the fuck is your problem and don't give me bullshit about you not having enough sleep!" Murphey snapped at him. She loved him more than life itself but sometimes he really knew how to piss her off.

"I don't need to tell you every fuckin' thing that goes on! I'm allowed to have some fuckin' privacy!" He frowned at her.

"Than what happened to an open, honest fuckin' relationship?" She asked him, the pitch of her tone rising as she embraced the anger pumping through her veins. "I wasn't fuckin' askin' you to tell me every little detail about what's going on! I just wanted to know what the fuck is up your ass!"

Jem fought the urge to roll his eyes again, knowing it would only make her angrier.

"I only wanted to know what was wrong. If you want more fuckin' privacy, get the fuck out of my house and don't come back!" She added bitterly watching his eyes widen, and with some satisfaction turned on her heel and stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Jem didn't know what to say but walked out feeling like he had been punched in the stomach. He couldn't imagine how Murphey felt.


	16. Anger

**Thank you for your patience. Please read and review.**

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**CHAPTER 15:**

**Anger**

"Can I come in?" Jem stood in the empty corridor of Mary's building, finding the blonde oddly dressed in baggy track pants and tank top. She was usually polished, like a toonie. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Shouldn't you be talking to Murphey?" She stated folding her arms across her chest, not bothering to hide her bad temper – whether it was directed at him or not he didn't appreciate the scorn in her tone. "She's the one you walked out on."

Murphey had called her best friend the moment Jem walked out the door, releasing her frustrations to the only loyal person she knew. Mary had patiently listened despite the emotional torment she was under. For once she needed the shoulder to cry on, but with the abuse Murphey was hurling at Jem she decided just to keep her mouth shut.

"Can you just let me in so I can explain?" Mary rolled her brown eyes, unfolding her arms as she stepped aside to let him in. "Have you seen Doug?"

"Yeah, he dropped by to dump me the other day." She stated walking over to the kitchen counter where a half-drunk wine bottle and used glass sat.

"I'm sorry," he was surprised to see her hurt by the end of her causal relationship with his best friend.

"Like I give a shit what you have to say." She snapped bitterly, draining the remains of the wine into her glass. "Anyway, you're apologizing to the wrong girl,"

"I fuckin' know, but she's why I came here," he pulled out a wad of cash stuffed into an envelope from his hoodie pocket and held it towards her. "She's freaking out about paying you back, I know it don't matter to you but she feels bad and I can help."

"I'm not taking your money."

"Please," he didn't usually use that word, if it was anyone else he wouldn't have bothered but it meant something to Murph to be out of Mary's debt.

"Let me rephrase that – I am not taking money you stole from decent, hardworking people!"

"It's not fuckin' –"

"I saw you as clearly as you saw me." Jem swallowed hard but refused to look away from Mary as her brown eyes narrowed at him. "If my head wasn't so fucked up right now, I would've made that charming F.B.I Agent my new best friend and told him everything he needed to know about you and your friends."

He ignored the way the skin on the back of his neck heated up, his temper bubbling at the surface as Mary's words hit way too close to home. She wasn't the only one though, standing in the way of him going back to prison but other than Murphey she knew his history.

"Murph needs this money." He stated quietly, waving the wad at Mary as she stubbornly shook her head.

"She doesn't even know, does she?" He didn't answer and she slammed her glass upon the counter causing the bottom to shatter across the marble. "You're a selfish prick Jem Coughlin! And you always were, you never gave a damn about Murphey!"

The envelope dropped from Jem's grasp before he realized it, and his hands were gripping Mary's arms. He held the blonde before him, glaring at her but she didn't falter, stubbornly holding his gaze as she continued to taunt him.

"I was there when she got pregnant! I was there when you went to prison! I was there when she lost the baby! I was always fuckin' there for her!" She shouted as tears welled in her eyes. "If I had my way…you'd never see her again!"

Jem shoved her away and unwittingly his hand rose to slap the bitch into next week but tears began streaming down her cheeks and he stepped back even further from her.

"Just take the damn money, put Murph's mind at rest,"

"No." She lightly shook her head. "I refused to keep playing this twisted game with you two. I'm done."

"Now who's walking away?"

Mary's jaw clenched as she reached for the wine cup still in one piece and threw it at him. It narrowly missed Jem's head as the delicate glass sailed pass him and smashed against the wall it connected with. "Get the fuck out my house!"

"I'm leaving the money here, do what you want with it," he said storming out the door.

* * *

Murphey tried to enjoy a day of relaxation, vainly attempting not to think about Jem but it was proving difficult as he was the only thing on her mind. She heard the apartment door open and close but didn't bother getting up to see who it was, the familiar perfume scent announced the arrival of Mary. She smiled but it faded as she saw her best friend's brown eyes surrounded with puffy redness that only came from crying.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really, Doug dumped me…for someone else,"

Mary dropped upon the couch beside her, running her hands through her loose blonde waves while Murphey sat in stunned silence beside her. Even though Doug said it was a one-time thing, they'd been not so secretly seeing each other – she thought they made a good couple, they balanced each other out.

"Please tell me you're fucking joking?"

"She's a toonie, of all things," Mary sighed.

"You'll find someone better," Murphey comforted her, wrapping an arm round her shoulders.

"Maybe I will." Mary glanced at Murphey, the words lingering on her tongue needed to be said, not matter how much they'd hurt their friendship. "But will you? Jem's never ever gonna change Murph,"

"Where did that come from?"

"C'mon," she muttered obviously.

"No relationship is perfect," Murphey sighed.

"No it's not, but do you want a relationship based on lies?"

Murphey was confused about Mary's sudden change of heart about Jem, and watched as her friend rose from the couch and began pacing back and forth before her. "What are you talking about? I know there's stuff he isn't telling me but that's not exactly lying, it's just protecting me."

"You are so fuckin' blind Murph! How can you let him treat you like this? After all this time, you should know better!"

"Please, just tell me what is going on so I'm not even more confused than I already am," Murphey said ignoring the way her heart was pounding roughly against her ribs.

"It was Doug and Jem's crew that robbed the Cambridge Merchant Bank. I was there! They saw me and I saw them…they took your friend Claire as a hostage!"

Murphey didn't know what to say. A part of her was shocked and another part of her wasn't. She knew Jem still worked for the crooked florist. She looked up at Mary to see a pained expression crossing her face.

"Claire's the one Doug left you for isn't she?" she asked Mary, her cheeks flushed red giving Murphey the only answer she needed.

"That's beside the point! Jem is going to end up back at Walpole and you're going to be the sad girlfriend that visits him! I don't want that life for you!"

"It's not your choice!"

"Then you're not leaving me much a choice either,"

"What does that mean?" Murphey frowned as Mary glanced at her wristwatch.

"I've got somewhere I need to be." She muttered. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

Murphey merely nodded as Mary walked out of the apartment. Murphey rose from the couch and raced over to the window to watch as Mary emerged from the building, talking on her cell phone as she crossed the street to her car. Once she'd driven off, Murphey grabbed her own keys and left. She had some business to sort.


	17. Falling Apart

**You know what to do. Read and review...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 16:**

**Falling Apart.**

Murphey stalked into Jem's house not bothering to knock. She could hear Doug's laughter coming from the kitchen. She entered the room to discover Doug, Krista and Jem lining up rows of pretty white coke while Shyne was in her high chair chewing on the ear of the teddy bear she had in her hands.

"You guys are pathetic!" She frowned at the trio as they ignored the toddler in her high chair.

Krista was the first to speak after snorting a line, "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Not only do you do drugs in front of your daughter, you also swear too. I think you just lost out on the mother of the year award!"

"Well at least I am a mother," Krista retorted picking Shyne up out of her highchair and carried her into the living room.

"Not a very good one," Murphey mumbled as Krista's harsh words hardly upset her these days.

"Why are you here?" Jem asked her when she turned her narrowed gaze back to the two men left in the kitchen.

"To tell you I fucking hate you!"

"You didn't have to come over and tell me that…ya could've just rung…told me over the phone" Jem scoffed rolling his eyes as he reclined in his seat.

"I wanted to be looking at your fuckin' ugly face when I said it so you can see how much I mean it! I hate the both of you!" She snapped embracing the anger pumping through her body.

"Thanks," Doug laughed, seemingly oblivious to her rage.

"I know all about you dumping Mary for Claire you jerk off!" Doug stopped laughing and looked up at Murphey in surprise.

"I..."

"I don't want to hear it! Because of you two and your little goons, my best friend just walked out on me!" Murphey told them. "Now I'm alone. I hope you two end up in fuckin' prison!"

Jem reached out to Murphey, "Come on Murph you don't –"

She slapped his hand away, shaking her head. "Don't fuckin' touch me!"

"Murph come on," Jem said rising from his chair but she stepped away from him.

"Don't pretend you care! I can handle you robbing bank and trucks, but Mary was there…you weren't! And you fuckin' know that!"

"We didn't,"

"She told me Jem!" Murphey's hands clenched into tights fists. "She told me everything!"

"She shouldn't of said anything!"

"Why? You afraid I'll go to the cops, turn you in so you can go to prison again! Y'know, you might learn something you didn't learn the first time!"

"Don't start Murph!" He snapped suddenly.

"Or what, huh?" She taunted him. "You gonna put a bullet in my head like you did Brendan?"

That did it for Jem. He swung his arm slapping her in the face. She cupped her throbbing face, glaring at him once again even though his features softened as he realized what he'd done.

"Murph, I –"

"I hope you rot in hell!" She spat, turning on her heel and stormed from the house, ignoring the tears building up at the corners of her eyes.

She got into her car, slamming the door so hard all the windows rattled. She pressed her feet firmly into the accelerator and went to the nearest Florist to pick up some flowers, knowing her end destination was the only place she had left in this shitty excuse of a town.

She parked up in front of the cemetery, taking the familiar path to Kayleigh's headstone. She knelt before the stone, carefully clearing away the dying flowers and weeds, while staring at the small photo etched in stone.

"Hey baby girl." She set the fresh flowers in the vase. "I thought it would be different between your daddy and I this time, I thought it was for real again. I had him back." She gently ran her fingertips over her aching cheek. "I loved him, I never stopped. I still love him and his stupid blue eyes…crooked smile. I even love his stupid Irish pride. He's just a complicated man, who's broken and no matter how much I try to fix him, he just ends up breaking more."

She sniffed and wiped away the tears unwittingly streaming down her cheeks. "Maybe I should just give up? He's never going to stop what he's doing. It's all he knows. I knew all along I couldn't get him to give it up. I knew I would be stupid for trying to get him to give it up. I should have known Charlestown would be a mistake to come back to. I might've been running from someone but I have you here baby girl. I couldn't stop from coming to see you. I love you Kayleigh and I love your daddy just as much but maybe I need to get away for a while. I don't know where I'll go but I can guarantee I'll come back…I'll come back to you."

She sighed and slowly climbed back to her feet, feeling instantly better for getting everything off her chest. She made her way back to the car, and drove home, letting the mild hum of music from the radio take her thoughts over until she pulled up to her apartment, discovering Mary standing on the front porch smoking a cigarette.

She got out and walked over as Mary blew out a mouthful of smoke, dropping her cigarette on the pavement and rubbed it out with the toe of her high heel.

"You started smoking again?"

"It keeps my nerves in check." She ran her hands over her figure hugging dress. "We need to talk Murph."

She slowly nodded her head, leading her friend inside.


	18. Friends or Foes

**The same again. I knew leaving you guys with a cliff hanger would probably make you want to kill me so here is the next chapter. I'm excited to hear your thoughts about this chapter and the last one so you better leave your reviews!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 17:**

**Friends or Foes**

Murphey strolled into the living room and handed the mug of coffee to Mary, sitting on the opposite side of the couch. She felt Mary's gaze linger on her face, and nervously looked away.

"Do you want to tell me how you got that red mark on your face?"

Murphey shook her head; there wasn't much to say about the incident, not when her anger had provoked Jem. "You said we needed to talk. Do you mind telling me why?"

"I'm sorry about what I said the other day," Mary grasped the mug with both hands, staring down into it. "You and Jem have always belonged together and I was just pissed off because I thought Doug and I might've had something like that…or else I wanted us too." She glanced up offering a feeble smile. "I know you must be upset –"

"I'm more than upset!" Murphey abruptly snapped. "You walked out on me after dropping a huge bombshell! Now you're telling me it's because you were angry at Doug! You could've talked to me, instead of shooting your mouth off about Jem –"

"He was lying to you! Would you rather he called you from prison?"

"Sure he may end up in prison again, and I may be the lonely loser girlfriend that has to go visit him every week but if that's what it takes to see the man I love…I'd do it!" Mary set her mug on the coffee table and placed her grasped hands upon her lap. "You could have just ranted and raved to me about how much you hate Doug. I would have listened just like you listened to me rant and rave about how much of an ass Jem is!"

Murphey exhaled a long breath; waiting for Mary to reply but the words that came out of her mouth shocked her to her deepest core.

"I went to the FBI,"

"You what?"

"When I came to see you the other day, I didn't tell you that Jem stopped by…he gave some money so you wouldn't have to worry about paying me back." She shifted to the edge of the couch, opening her purse to shift through the contents. "I took the money to the FBI, and told them where it came from."

"How could you do that?" Murphey jumped up staring wide eyed at her friend. "If this is your plan to get back at Doug, then you're insane! Did you think about who this could affect huh?"

"What about the people they rob?" Mary argued. "I saw Jem beat a man's head in! And they took a hostage, Jesus Christ Murphey!"

"When did you give a fuck about what they did?"

"What about the people they terrorized? This is bigger than all of us!"

"Then why are you thinking of yourself?"

Mary rose from the couch and seized Murphey by the arms. "I was thinking of you! I don't want you to waste your life with that loser!"

Murphey shoved her away. "If you hadn't noticed, ten years ago I loved that loser! Ten years later I still fuckin' do!"

"You're not the same person I use to know, Murph. You've changed since you've been back with him." Mary stated quietly but it only made Murphey's anger flare up again.

"Not everyone can stay perfect like you Mar!"

"I'm not per –"

"Then stop acting like you are! You weren't born here. You weren't even raised like most people in Charlestown were. You came from a stable family unlike most of us Townies. You only saw what the other side grew up like, unless you grew up like Jem and Doug, you wouldn't understand how much of a big mistake you just made!"

"I just did what needed to be done!" Mary snapped.

"That's bullshit Mary, if you were thinking about my sake; you wouldn't have gone to the fuckin' FBI!"

Mary threw her hands up in the air. "How can you be so blind? Can't you see I'm just trying to protect you?"

"Get out!"

"Excuse me?"

"Get out of my house now," Murphey said gritting her teeth together as Mary stared at her for a long moment and then snatched up her bag, storming from the apartment.

Murphey picked up her glass and threw it towards the front door after Mary left. She burst into tears as she fell to the floor. She thought it couldn't get any worse until Mary announced she'd gone to the FBI. She never thought Mary would stoop that low and completely turn her back on their friendship. She hated everyone right now including herself. But managed to pick herself up off the floor, and made her way into the bedroom to throw some things into a suitcase. She was going to keep her promise to Kayleigh, she needed to get away from Charlestown and sort herself out.


	19. The Next Thing

**This is just a fill in chapter before the next chapter where a life or death situation happens... So you know what to do... Read and Review... It seems I'm getting less and less reviews so I have the next chapter ready to go and I will post it if you review... I need to know if you guys are still interested in this story or not.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 18:**

**The Next Thing.**

"Money, bitch." Jem masked his voice, poking Doug in the back of the neck.

He'd been walking along the street when he spotted Doug's work truck and then saw him sitting with a woman who looked a lot like Claire, the woman they'd taken hostage during their last robbery. Jem smiled when his friend tensed up. Doug turned to face him and sighed in relief.

"What the fuck you doin' here? Huh?" Jem asked as he walked over to where the woman was just sitting. He was going to make out like he hadn't seen her there with him.

**"**Nothin'." Doug simply answered, nervously looking around.

**"**Nothin'? What is this? Who you here with? Huh?" He continued to question as he sat down.

"No one. Let's get outta here." Doug said and stood up.

"You're tellin' me this is yours?"

**"**Yeah!"

"Yeah, fuckin' Hawaiian pizza? Come on sit down. I just got here." Jem smiled to himself seeing his friend squirm. He'd been in a careless mood since discovering Murphey had up and disappeared, not bothering to tell anyone she was leaving Charlestown.

**"**I said don't all right. I gotta go." Doug was trying everything to get rid of Jem but it wasn't working.

**"**Sit... sit the fuck down… Just sit down."

He noticed something had just caught his attention and noticed it was Claire. He now understood what Murphey meant when she'd mentioned Doug dumping Mary for another woman. Claire suddenly had too many connections to his crew.

"Hi." She said walking up to the table.

Jem quickly got out of the seat, "Hi...Hi."

"Claire." She said introducing herself.

"Jem." He said introducing himself in return.

"Jim?" She asked making sure she heard right.

"Jem. It's just Jem." He said correcting her. "I'm a friend of this...this loser right here." He pointed to Doug.

"Nice to meet you," Claire said smiling politely.

"Sit down. Sit down. Relax." He told her as he grabbed himself a chair and sat down also. He then turned his attention back to Doug. "So I saw your uh...fuckin' Avalanche parked around the corner."

"The Avalanche?" Claire asked.

"Truck." Doug answered before Jem.

**"**Fuckin' truck. His work truck right there. Dougy's quite the worker." Jem said anyway.

**"**Have you two known each other a long time? Or are you..." Claire asked looking between the two men.

**"**Since we were six we're like brothers. Right? But he's never mentioned a word about you. Secrets with this one. Huh?" Jem answered.

"Did you say your name was Jim or Gem?" she asked.

**"**Ah...it's Je...Je...well it's both actually. Um...teachers when we were growing up they always used to say 'Hey, you can have this one, he's a real gem.' So I guess it kind of stuck." Jem hated to be called Jim ever since the nickname he was given caught on. "So what do you for yourself there, Claire?" he asked changing the subject.

**"**I work in a bank." She told him. "I'm a bank manager."

**"**You're a bank manager. Sounds fun. What bank?"

**"**Cambridge Merchants. Just...just over there." She said.

**"**Cambridge Merchants. Hey, wait that...that's the one that just got robbed, isn't it?"

"Yeah,"

"Yeah. Yeah. Wow, I read about that. That's crazy." He pretended to be sympathetic. He didn't really care. Now it was his turn to change the subject. "So then how is it that...that you two met?"

"Um...we met at a Laundromat." Claire replied.

"Okay. Love among the bleach, right? Hey, it happens more than you think." Jem smiled looking from her to Doug then back to Claire, "Hey, Claire, don't get to use to your life of leisure here. Dougy here, he's...he's a real workaholic you know. He's always takin' his work home with him. Aren't you?" He looked at Doug with a serious expression. "All right."

"All right, brother." Doug said grabbing the back of Jem's neck, covering the tattoo as he stands up to leave. "Take care of yourself, all right? Be good."

"I'll see you at home." Jem told Doug. "Hey, it was nice to meet you." Jem said pointing to Claire as he made his way home.

* * *

When he got home he made himself something to eat and tried to call Murph for the 100th time since she'd disappeared. It went straight to voice mail once again.

"Murph, I'm really startin' ta freak out. I know I messed up big time but I just want to know if you're okay. I'm worried. Call me back if you can. I love you."

He was almost finished eating when Doug walked through the door. "Who are you following, Jem? Me or her?"

"I told you. I made the Avalanche." He answered even though he knew Doug wouldn't believe him.

"You got nothin' to worry about. It's all under control." Doug tried to reassure him.

"Oh, so you're trying to get us jammed up? Are you?" Jem asked, his frustration starting to show.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get you jammed up," Doug said sarcastically.

"Tell me you got a move here, Dougy, 'cause the only way I see it is you get sprung with your goddamn beer trap on some toonie pussy. Who happens to be the one goddamn person…" he cut himself off and slammed his fists on the table. "FUCK! The one person that can give us to the fucking feds." He stood up and walked over to the counter and sink.

"Calm down. All right. Don't you think we need to be smart right now?" Doug asked trying to calm him done. He knew all about his friend's volatile mood swings at the moment with Murphey running away.

**"**Smart?"

**"**Yeah."

"Oh yeah. Let's start fucking all the witnesses. Right? Yeah, I'm blowing the assistant manager. Am I smart now? Huh? And no I didn't tell the other guys when I knew they'd flip the fuck out! And I want 'em fuckin' ready for the next thing." Jem frowned at him.

Doug knew he was getting agitated, that he needed something to do to cool off some steam as well as the adrenaline kick, robbing banks and trucks gave him but the job wasn't ready yet and telling Jem no was hard.

"I told you, the next fucking thing is not ready yet."

"Then fucking make it ready!"

"I don't like the guards on the next thing. All right?" Doug told him. "One kid is like fuckin' GI Joe. He wears the vest on the outside, tucks his pants into his fuckin' combat boots,"

"The truck is fucking waste high!"

"We'll find another truck with a driver whose a fuckin' fat kid with his fuckin' shit on top, who don't think he's special forces!"

"Hey, look I know you're happy in fuck city over there, but I waited nine years of Walpole for you, motherfucker. Just nine years, that's all. I'm done waiting." Jem always used the Walpole card when he wanted to get his way. For some reason it always worked.

**"**This is the last one. We hit pause after this," Doug told him, "We get pinched, remember whose idea this was. Okay? Be ready on Friday." He walked away leaving Jem on his own again.

He smiled knowing he had just gotten his way.


	20. Life or Death

**I don't know when I'll be able to update again. Hopefully I will be able to once more before the weekend when I won't be able to get online. You guys will just have to have patience. Anyway, read and review...**

* * *

**CHAPTER 19**

**Life or Death.**

Murphey found herself in another part of Boston. She couldn't bring herself to go any further so instead she just hid out in a cheap motel. She was good at hiding and not answering her cell phone. Every time she did check her phone she discovered a pile of voicemails from Jem, adding up the longer she kept away from him. She even had a few from Mary.

But she couldn't bring herself to even listen to them, not know she knew she was pregnant again. It was like a bad dream on repeat.

Today she decided to venture out to the bar down the road from the cheap hotel she was staying at for a bite to eat before returning to self-imposed exile. But the small hairs on the back of her neck rose, the oddest feeling she was being followed began to creep up on her nerves and she instinctively glanced over her shoulder. The street was oddly empty, and she picked up her walking pace, reaching the motel in record time but before she found the safety of the lobby a thick Irish accent caught her attention.

"Murphey-Lee?"

She slowly faced the voice, finding a burly man hovering on the curb. Something about the way his cap covered his gaze stirred fear within Murphey. She wanted to run into the lobby, but her feet refused to move.

"What do you want?"

"I have a message for ya," he delivered a sharp right hook to her stomach. The force winded her and she doubled over, clutching her stomach. "Fergie says hi!"

The man placed a hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming. He dragged her into the alley, throwing her into the nearest brick wall. The harsh stone scratched against her skin, and when she braced her hands against it to keep herself standing, he punched her in the kidneys. His hands pounded into her body, until she laid half-unconscious upon the pavement. Her blood seeped into her mouth, and her lungs struggled to function and keep her breathing.

Eventually darkness consumed her and Fergie's messenger picked up her battered body, shoving it into the boot of his car. He speed towards Charlestown and dumped her at the location Fergie had ordered him too before driving off.

* * *

Jem woke early. He didn't know why and no matter how much he tried to go back to sleep, his mind wouldn't let him. He sighed and pulled the blanket and sheets back as he stepped out of bed. He made his way to the kitchen to see it was a mess. He ignored it leaving it for someone else to clean up. He grabbed his phone, wallet and keys before heading out the door. He needed a proper breakfast. He locked the door behind him and decided to give calling Murphey another chance.

As Jem called her, he heard a phone start to ring in the distance. He realized it sounded like Murphey's ring tone and followed the ringing. As the noise got louder he noticed someone lying in the gutter. He hung up his phone and noticed the ringing from where the person was laying stopped.

"Murphey?" he whispered more to himself, crouching beside the body. "Fuck!" Her face was swollen beyond recognition but he still knew it was her. "Murphey!" he called out to her even though she was unconscious. He felt for her pulse and found it. But it was weak.

He picked her up in his arms and cradled her against him as he walked back towards the house. He got inside, yelling out for help. Doug emerged from his bedroom with a frown, but his eyes grew wide as he saw a battered body in Jem's arms.

"What the fuck man?"

"It's Murphey," he told him. "We need to go!"

Doug grabbed his keys to the truck as they rushed outside, speeding to the nearest hospital.

Once they were at the hospital Doug helped Jem get Murphey inside.

"I NEED HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!" Jem yelled begging anyone who was listening.

Two nurses rushed over to him. One went to go get a gurney when she saw what was going on. She came back five seconds later with the bed. Jem placed Murphey carefully on the bed as more nurses and a doctor arrived.

They went to rush Murphey away and Jem went to follow but a nurse stopped him. "You're going to have to stay here," she told him giving him a look of sympathy as a pained expression came across his face.

"She fuckin' needs me!" Jem cursed at her.

"What she needs right now is the doctors to work on her," the nurse told him. "By the looks of it I'm surprised she's even alive. Now please take a seat and I'll update you if I hear anything."

"If she dies –"

"Don't talk like that Jem," Doug said reaching for his friends arm, cutting him off.

Jem pulled his arm away from Doug and stormed outside. He punched the concrete wall outside. He could hear something in his hand crack but a broken hand was the last of his problems right now. He had to find out who did this to Murphey.

"Jem," Doug's voice came from behind him.

"I should've gone looking for her," Jem said holding his hand as it started to throb, the delicate flesh of his knuckles cut up and bleeding.

"Even if you tried, you wouldn't have found her this soon,"

"Well I should've fuckin' tried instead of just leaving voice messages she probably never listened too," he turned around and frowned at his best friend. "I'm gonna find whoever did this to her and make the bastards beg for death!"

"Jem you can't be doing that, leave it to the fuckin' cops. If she makes it through this and despite everything that happened she's gonna need you. She's probably gonna have a lot of fuckin' problems and if you still love her, the only thing that is gonna matter is helping her through them." Doug said trying to reason with him. "For once we need to trust the fuckin' cops on this."

"I don't know if I can." Jem said honestly.

"Just calm down and get back in there," Doug told him.

"I need to talk to Mary," he said.

"I'll do it," Doug said.

"You fuckin' dumped her for that upper-class bitch you're screwing. I'll fuckin' talk to her," Jem frowned at him pulling his phone out of his pocket. He looked down just noticing Murphey's blood was coving the front of his top.

"I'll go get you a clean shirt," Doug said noticing the look on his face and walked over to his truck.

Jem nodded as he dialled Mary's number, his hands wouldn't stop shaking.

Mary finally answered, sounding half asleep. "Stop calling me, I haven't heard from Murph –"

"She's here," he said interrupting her.

"Here where?" She yawned.

"At hospital! I found her half dead in the gutter outside my house!"

Mary didn't say anything for a few seconds but he could hear her scrambling around. "Do you know who did it?"

"No and no doubt the cops will be here soon asking questions," Jem sighed.

"I'm on my way! Call me if you hear anything!"

Jem sighed again and shoved his phone in his pocket before walking back inside and took a seat in the waiting area. He nervously bounced his knee, looking around the plain white walls. He hated hospitals.

* * *

He was starting to lose his patience when Mary arrived; she blasted the nurses with abuse when they wouldn't give her any information. In the end she took to pacing the length of the waiting room. The cops hadn't shown up yet, and Doug was still off grabbing him some clean clothes.

"Is that her blood?"

He looked up as Mary's whisper grabbed his attention, he nodded and she walked over, dropping into the chair beside his. She placed a hand within his and held it tightly. All they could do was wait for news.

"Excuse me; I'm looking for Murphey-Lee,"

Jem and Mary glanced at each other and then over at the nurses' station where they found the last person they ever expected to see.


	21. Mother

**Sorry for the delay I have been busy and had writers block. Please leave your reviews I could really use your lovely comments.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 20:**

**Mother.**

"What are you doing here?" Jem asked as he stood coming face to face with Murphey's mother, Margaret. He hadn't seen her since before he went to prison. She hadn't seen Murphey since she kicked the teen out after finding out she had gotten pregnant to Jem.

"I have every right to be here," she frowned at Jem.

"You disowned her when she got pregnant!"

"She's my daughter!"

"You're so full of shit!" Mary said standing beside Jem. "You're probably here to see if you have to bury her. You never cared about her when she chose to be with Jem instead of the boy with a rich daddy!"

Margaret rolled her eyes and scoffed, "She could have done better, not like she had any support from you James."

"I gave her more support from prison than you ever fuckin' did!"

"She's my daughter Jem; she is mine, not yours!" She snapped.

"She is not a possession!"

"Then I am allowed to see her," she said.

"She's not going to want to see you," he said standing his ground.

"Maybe you should be the one to leave." Margaret told him.

"I love her, I'm not going anywhere," Jem glared at her. It was the first time he publicly admitted he loved Murphey.

"If you loved her you wouldn't have fucked up so bad,"

"That's rich coming from the one person she needed the most who threw her out on the fuckin' street when she got pregnant," Jem said taking a step forward only for Mary's fingers to curl round his arm, keeping him beside her.

"If she'd gotten pregnant to anyone else she could have stayed at home but since it was your baby, I wanted nothing to do with it."

"My daughter isn't an it!" His voice lowered threateningly and Mary's grip of his arm became tighter. "And neither is Murphey!"

A nurse walked over to them to see what was happening. "Excuse me what is going on?"

"This woman shouldn't be here," Jem said pointing to Murphey's mother.

"But she's a blood relative," the nurse said.

"She disowned her daughter! Me and Mary are the only fuckin' family she has," he said getting more frustrated.

"Sir, please keep your voice down," the nurse told him.

"My girlfriend is in there fighting for her life and you want me to fuckin' keep my voice down? How 'bout you go do your fuckin' job and go find out if there's been any news," Jem glared at the nurse. He wasn't in the mood to be told what to do.

"I know you're angry right now but we need you to calm down," the nurse told him.

"I'm going to go get some fresh air," he frowned making his way to the door.

"Go! You're not welcome here anyway!" Margaret spat as he walked away.

"Jem wait," he heard Mary call after him. She followed him outside and sat on the bench next to him. "Look, don't listen to anything she has to say, she's never been there for Murph, we have been. We're the ones who love and care for her despite everything that's gone wrong. You're the most important person to her, you're her world and I know she's yours."

"Since when did you care about what I meant to Murph?" He snapped, only to regret it as he heard her answer.

"Since I see how much you're hurting right now. You've just proven to me and everyone else how much you care for her."

"I fuckin' love her!"

"I know you do," Mary said softly. "And I'm sorry for everything that's happened in the last couple of weeks. I truly am. I know how much I hurt Murphey and if I hadn't told her what I did then maybe she wouldn't have disappeared and ended up where she is now."

The guilt of what she did and said to Murphey was starting to settle in. There was no right or wrong in this situation, just shades of gray that didn't make sense.

"It's not your fault," he sighed. "The fucker that did this should be paying for hurting her. If I find him before the cops do, I can't promise I'll go easy."

"Break his nose for me," Mary said nudging his side and he smiled.

"Mary,"

They looked up to see FBI Special Agent; Adam Frawley marching towards them. Their smiles faded for different reasons.

"Adam," Mary jumped up from the bench.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Jem asked. He couldn't take any more surprises today.

"I'm here because of what happened." He replied.

"This isn't your department," Jem continued to frown.

"Jem, I called him on my way here," Mary admitted quietly, sheepishly glancing at him as she stood between the two foes.

"Why?"

"He can help us. He has more power than the cops do –"

"How do you know that?" He noticed the blush that appeared upon her cheeks when Adam rested his hand against the small of her back. "You're fuckin' him? Is this what you've been doing why your friend's been missing?" he questioned her.

"Coughlin you need to –" Jem cut him off, refusing to even look at him.

"Don't fuckin' tell me what to do! Great glad to see your head is in this Mary."

"There was nothing I could do," she said defending herself.

"So you just fucked the first thing that came into view, and it had to be him" Jem scoffed.

"It wasn't like that. I tried calling her, going to her house and pounding on the door until I was blue in the face. But there was nothing I could do!"

"Yeah right" Jem muttered.

"You don't have to believe me. I know you're angry but we're here for the same reason. We're here for Murph. She doesn't need us arguing."

"If she had us, this wouldn't all be happening would it?"

"We all stuffed up,"

"Yeah we did." Jem sighed.


	22. Interrogation

**Sorry for the wait. My life hasn't been the easiest the last couple of weeks. You guys know what to do. Read and Review.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 21**:

**Interrogation. **

"How many times have do I have to fuckin' tell you, I didn't do it!" Jem yelled at the cop interviewing him for the thirteenth time.

"She was outside your house Jem," Bruce O'Riley replied calmly, folding his arms across his chest as he reclined in his seat.

"No shit, I fuckin' found her out there!"

"It doesn't make you look good, Jem,"

"What do you mean?"

"You have a criminal record. Manslaughter is at the top of the list. Maybe you and Miss Copeland got into an argument, she said something you didn't like and you gave her the beating of her life?" Bruce noted Jem shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"We got into an argument three weeks ago. I slapped her without realizing it but that's all I did! I hadn't seen her for two weeks until I found her lying in the fuckin' gutter almost dead and now she's in a fuckin' coma."

"If you didn't do it then, who did?"

"I don't fuckin' know!" Jem glared at him. "If I did I wouldn't be sitting here right now!"

"My bet is that you have your own suspects –"

"If I did you'd have a badly beaten dead body in your morgue with my skin under his nails. You'd see bruises and scratches all over me but there is none is there?"

Bruce sighed and leaned forward, as much as it pained him to admit it he didn't get the guilty vibe from Jem.

"Jem if you know anything you have to tell us or you're going to remain our number one suspect. You may not know who it is yet but something tells me its someone that knows you, someone with a very big grudge that knows your seeing Miss Copeland."

"The only people that know I am seeing her are you fuckers, my friends and Mary Rhodes!" Jem told him.

"Could anyone of them got someone to do what they did?" he asked.

Jem shrugged his shoulders, "My sister doesn't like her but she's too stupid and high. I wouldn't put it pass her mother, she's never liked me and hasn't talked to her since she found out I knocked Murph up. Her mother would do something like this to try and make her realize I'm a dangerous guy."

"So you're blaming her mother for this?"

"I'm saying if she had something to do with her daughter for the last twelve years then I could see her going this far," Jem corrected himself.

"So you don't think she did it?"

"As much as I hate the bitch, no I don't."

"Let's run through the events of the night before you found her," Bruce stated flicking through the statements from all the parties involved.

Jem sighed in frustration. He really wanted to be back at the hospital in case today was the day Murphey finally came out of her coma. He wanted to be the first one she saw so she would know that he cared about her more than he shows and to let her know he's not going anywhere no matter how bad things get.

"I had a few drinks at the bar with the boys; I went home, got high with Dougie and passed out not long after having something to eat. I stayed asleep until I woke up and decided to get out of the house. I tried ringing Murphey once more and heard a phone ringing the gutter. I walked over there to check it out when I noticed it was Murph's ringtone she had for me. That's when I found her," he rattled off the statement he had given the cops a numerous amount of times. His statement never changed.

"You're still sticking to the same statement –"

"That's what fuckin' happened," Jem cut him off. "I DIDN'T see her for two weeks before that. She never answered my fuckin' calls or texts. I was literally fuckin' worried she'd been killed. And then she turns up in the gutter outside my fuckin' house on the brink of death. You have no fuckin' idea of how scared I was, how scared I am she still won't make it through the coma!" he began to yell, his hands clenching into hard fists.

He'd never been open with his emotions unless it was anger but with what happened with Murphey and the effect she had on him, he couldn't help but be emotional.

When Bruce saw the emotion burning in Jem's eyes, he kept his mouth shut and actually gave him a small sympathetic smile. Of course he didn't understand how a criminal like James Coughlin had a heart and how he was feeling.

"You're right, I have no idea how you feel but for once Jem, please don't take the law into your own hands. Let us deal with this for Murphey's sake. I don't want to have to haul your ass back in here and press charges against you, sending you back to Walpole. You need to focus on Murphey and making it right if she pulls through this."

"She is all I am focused on now can I go so I can go back to the hospital to be with her?" Jem asked him.

"Yeah sure, but make sure we know if or when she wakes up." Bruce opened the interrogation door and Jem stormed out.

He got back to the hospital and sat next to Murphey's bed. He hadn't left her side unless he had to go downtown with the cops. He took her hand linking their fingers together. He kissed the back of her hand while looking at her. She looked like she was just in a peaceful slumber only with wires and tubes sticking out from her.

He kissed the back of her hand once more before placing it against his cheek.

"I love you Murphey, please come back to me." He said and looked down at the floor; embarrassed to admit to himself that he had no point to living if she didn't make it through this.

"Jem,"

He thought he was dreaming when he heard her soft whisper. He looked up to see her looking back at him with tired eyes. He was speechless for the first time in his life.


	23. Grief

**Here is the next chapter. It jumps a bit because the chapters would have been really short otherwise and it's how I wanted to do it. Thanks to my beta Aveline Archer for your amazing help. This story is coming to an end soon. Anyway if you love me you'll read and review.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 22**

**Grief.**

"Murphey,"

Jem was shocked to see her awake. Despite hoping she'd wake up every day that passed it was a surprise to see her eyes open and looking at him. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Don't cry baby, you'll be fine now… you're safe," he whispered giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as her tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"You ain't got nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who should be sorry," he gently brushed the tears away.

"What happened? How did I get here? I don't remember what happened," she sobbed.

Jem exhaled a long breath, and decided to just state the facts simply not wanting to scare her or remember how close he came to losing her. "Someone beat you up pretty bad; they dumped you outside my house. I found you and brought you here."

"The baby, what happened to the baby?" Her tone pitched as she became panicky.

"What baby?

"Our baby, I was going to come back and tell you." She stated quietly, unwilling to grasp the obvious thought.

"I wasn't told anything about a baby," he frowned.

Murphey started crying even more. Jem leaned over and pressed the buzzer for a nurse. They both needed an explanation and the doctor needed to know Murphey was awake. Jem couldn't believe what he was hearing. No doctor or nurse had told him about Murphey being pregnant.

When the nurse walked in he frowned and stood up.

"Oh you're awake," the nurse said walking over to Murphey.

Jem watched silently as Murphey was checked over, the nurse scribbling a few notes onher chart before walking out of the room to a grab a doctor. They returned moments later and Jem snapped at them.

"Tell me what is going on!"

"She appears to be in good condition considering the trauma she sustained," the doctor told them happily, checking over her chart and then checked Murphey over himself. "You're very lucky –"

"What about the baby?" Jem snapped watching as the doctor and nurse exchanged a look.

"We wanted to wait until Murphey's condition improved before mentioning it and at the time our primary concern was saving Murphey's life. I'm afraid with the damage her body sustained there was nothing we could do to save the baby. I'm sorry,"

"You should've fuckin' told me that was my fuckin' baby!" Jem glared at him as Murphey broke down, burying her face in her hands as her loud sobs filled the room.

"I truly am sorry we couldn't do more." Jem sat up by Murphey and took her in his arms as the doctor continued. "I'd like to keep Murphey here for another couple of days to monitor her progress but if she continues to improve she'll be able to go home. She'll need to take it easy though, no strenuous activity. I can also recommend for the two of you to visit a grief counselor if you'd like,"

Jem merely nodded as a the nurse spoke up.

"Is there anyone I can call for you?"

"Mary Rhodes and the cops. They'll wanna talk to her."

"I'll call them now." The nurse stated before following the doctor out of the room, giving the couple their much needed space to be alone.

* * *

Jem walked into the hospital room Murphey had been staying in since she woke up. He noticed she wasn't in there. He went to walk out of the room to see her limp through the door. "Hey," he said relieved to see her.

"Hey, she said giving him a small smile.

Even though it had been three weeks since the attack she still had some bruises but most of them had disappeared. All the swelling had also gone down too.

"How are you feeling" he asked her.

"Sore but better, I just want to get out of here,"

"I just signed your release papers so we can leave when you're ready,"

"That's the best news I've heard in ages." She admitted happily.

"You don't mind me staying with you?" he asked making sure for fifteenth time.

The cops hadn't gotten anywhere with her case, unable to do much with the vague memories Murphey had about the attack and Jem wanted to keep her safe at any cost. He grabbed her bag and took her hand as they slowly made their way out of the hospital.

"I want you there," she said. He helped her in to the car and drove home.

When they got there he made sure she was comfortable. He had helped her into bed knowing she would still be tired.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" he asked her.

"No but I want you to stay here with me,"

He smiled and sat on the bed beside her. He was unsure how close he should be to her; a counselor had managed to get ahold of him during one of his visits to the hospital, pulling him aside to explain that Murphey would be in a fragile state of mind. He warned Jem not to push her, give her the space she needed and just be there if she needed him. So Jem had actually taken his advice, keeping his distance and letting Murphey call the shots.

When she carefully moved closer to him and rested her head on his lap, he found his fingers tangling within her hair, running through the smooth brown locks.

"Everything's gonna to be okay," he murmured.

"I hope so,"

"I'll find out who did this,"

"I know you will Jem." She knew there was no stopping him and as much as she wanted to protest that his way would only cause more problems she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud. She sighed softly, "I love you Jem but don't do anything too drastic. I can't watch you go back to prison…I can't lose you again."

"That won't happen." He promised.

* * *

"Y'know it's funny, I can see your daddy's faces in youse. All of youse,"

Fergie Colm took a moment to look at each of them and Jem held his gaze wishing the old Irish prick would just hurry up and get to the point why he and his friends were here.

"Reminds me I'm still in the ring. Still taking the punches. Still ahead on point. Now, I have a fella on the inside there, he likes to play the ponies, has a gambling sickness. He couldn't pick a horse to save his fuckin' life. But courtesy of this sick man I have this…hmm," he waved an envelope at them. "The cash is brought out and stacked fifteen minutes before the van does the pickup. That is when you hit. And Monday morning, after a four-game stand with New York, sixty thousand beers, food, merchandise, total haul is three and half million,"

Jem glanced at Doug with a comfortable smile.

"Taking down the cathedral of Boston…priceless."


	24. Getting Away

**One more chapter and an epilogue to go. Sad this is coming to an end but like that saying all good things must come to an end. Read and review please.**

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**CHAPTER 23**

**Getting Away.**

"How long do you think it's going to take before Rusty dumps the inside man when this thing is over?" Doug and Jem looked at each other.

They were at the baseball stadium scoping things out before the big robbery. Deep down both of them knew it would be too much but Fergie was a persistent man. If Fergie wanted something done, he got it done, it didn't matter who got hurt or possibly killed while doing it.

"He should of picked better horses," Jem said looking towards the grounds where a game was being played. He had no interest in the game really. He just wanted to get things over with.

"It's gonna be a motherfucker you know that, right?" Doug asked him.

"Well, if it were easy kid, everybody would do it."

"Have you told Murph?" Doug asked realizing things were all right between the couple at the moment, but the mention of a robbery could turn things sour again.

"I'm gonna tell her after I book a plane ticket for far from here. I want her to get away before all this fuckin' bullshit goes down," he said as the two turned around and made their way out of the stadium.

* * *

Jem walked in the door to Murphey's house. He stopped by the local travel agent and booked Murphey a one-way ticket to Mexico, after spending the week trying to figure out a way to tell her about the Fenway Park job. He practically lived at her house since she was released from the hospital. He knew he had to tell her now so she could get away before everything happened, but he was scared of how she'd react.

He walked into the kitchen to see her preparing dinner. By the looks of it, it was something Italian. He loved her cooking. He could easily get lost in the aroma that filled the kitchen, creating the homey atmosphere he now associated with her.

"That didn't take long," Murphey's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Doug had other things planned so I wanted to come back here,"

"Everything okay?" She noticed he was a little on edge and left the stove, moving over to the counter as he leaned against.

"I uh…I need to tell you something," he nervously folded his arms across his chest.

"What is it?"

"The guys and I...we got another job,"

"A truck or bank?" She asked knowing better to ask what he meant by 'another job'.

Jem sighed. "It's much bigger than a bank or truck."

"What could be bigger than either of those things?"

He took a deep breath in and out, "Fenway Park."

"Fenway Park as in the baseball stadium Fenway Park?" She repeated slowly, making sure she wasn't hearing things.

"Yeah that stadium."

"Are you fuckin' insane?" She shrieked making Jem flinch. "Robbing Fenway Park is like robbing God! What the hell are you thinking? Actually, don't answer that, I'm convinced you've lost what brain you've got!" She ran her hands back through her hair, pacing the length of the kitchen as she tried to wrap her brain around it.

"Don't worry 'bout it, we've got it all planned," he reached for her arm, pulling her towards him and secured an arm round her waist.

"Tell me this is the last one Jem, I can't keep going through this." Murphey whispered pressing her hands flat against his chest.

"It'll be the last if you go to Mexico,"

"Mexico? Why there?"

"We'll be able to start new there. No more living in the past, no more robberies, no more getting into trouble and definitely no more Fergie," he said.

"Fergie," she muttered.

Jem noticed the change in her expression, "You okay?"

"Irish…" She muttered again as realization came across her face.

Memories of her attack suddenly filled her head and her attacker's voice echoed. He was Irish. And the only Irish goons she knew of worked for Fergie. A deep feeling of dread filled her and she was grateful Jem's arms were wrapped around her.

"Murph? What is it?"

"I…the guy who attacked me, he…he had an Irish accent."

"An Irish accent?" He repeated as she grasped his shirt to support herself.

"I-I remember him saying something –"

"What was it?"

"He said he had a message for me..." she tried to remember what it was the man said. "It was something like Fergie says hi."

Jem looked at her and she could tell there was something. "He shouldn't have known. I never told him about us. He must have found out somehow. I'm going to make him pay," Murphey watched as his eyes filled with rage.

"No Jem, he's not worth it! I'll go to Mexico...I'll wait for you," she told him making him look at her so he could turn his attention back to her. "We'll start new just like you said."

"I don't want to do this job anymore," he told her.

"Then don't,"

"If I don't, I'll be the one who ends up dead,"

"Then we'll go to Mexico now," she said. "Me and you –"

"We can't Murphey, not right now. Fergie knows how to get what he wants and he doesn't care who gets hurt."

"And that means?" she asked looking at him.

"That I have to go through with it," he sighed again. "I got you a ticket to Mexico for tomorrow night. When this is all over, I'll find a way of getting there."

"Okay, when are you going through with the plan?" she asked him.

"In four days,"

"You'll keep safe and call me when you're on your way, right?"

"You know I will,"

Murphey pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you Jem."

"I love you too."

"Doug, can I talk to you for a minute?" Murphey pulled him aside the moment she walked into his place; this was her last stop before Mary would take her to the airport and it was her last chance to see Jem.

"Sure, Jem's in the shower so we have time," he joked referring to Jem's love of taking long showers.

Murphey usually would've found it funny, but her nerves were on edge.

"Make sure Jem makes it out. I've lost so much over the last six months, I can't lose him too."

Doug could tell she was on the borderline of breaking down into tears. He knew the small, petite, Boston-Irish with a father from the Bronx in NY native, was a tough little fighter and it took a lot for her to crack but when it came to Jem there was always a crack or two in her exterior.

"I know. I promise I won't let anything happen to him. He'll be joining you in Mexico before you know it." He reassured her.

He was going to keep to his promise also. He didn't really have anything to live for anymore. He lost Mary to some FBI toonie, he didn't really have that connection with Claire anymore and the money he was getting from each robbery didn't bring the happiness it used to. He knew he had to stop protecting just himself.

Murphey went to say something but Jem walked into the living room fully clothed and his hair still wet and sticking to his face.

"Hey," he smiled but wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to her even though it was only for a few days. He didn't think it would be this hard.

"Hey," she forced a smile.

"Let's fuckin' get out of here," he said walking up to her and took her hand in his and walked out the door.

They walked along the footpath towards her house. Jem kept a firm grip on her hand not wanting to let it go until he had to. Murphey's flight was at 6PM but she had to be at the airport an hour before. That was three hours away and they'd spend every last second together.

Before they knew it their time was up and Mary turned up to take Murphey to the airport. Jem wasn't able to do it. He didn't want to watch her get on the plane knowing he couldn't see or touch her for the remaining time he had in Boston and until he made it to Mexico.

"I still don't know why you're going to Mexico. It's the last place I thought you'd ever want to go." Mary said as they waited for the announcement of her flight.

"I heard the beaches are amazing and they always have tequila on tap," Murphey said.

She hadn't told Mary the real reason for her going to Mexico. She knew if she did Mary would probably go running to Adam, apparently the two of them were actually dating.

"I guess everyone needs a decent break with amazing beaches and Tequila on tap from time to time," Mary smiled.

"If I don't come back, you'll know why," Murphey tried to joke. "You'll continue putting flowers by Kayleigh's headstone, right?"

"You know I will, big beautiful bunches," Mary promised. "I'll tell her mommy loves her and that she's having a well-deserved vacation."

Murphey gave her a small smile and the announcement for her flight came over the intercom. The girls both stood and hugged each other. She started making her way to the terminal, and wouldn't dare look back.


	25. Fenway Park

**I really don't know what to say apart from please read and review.**

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**CHAPTER 24:**

**Fenway Park.**

Jem and Doug walked briskly through the concrete tunnels beneath Fenway Park, making their way to the cash room and their biggest payday yet. The stiff cop uniforms felt uncomfortable and Jem felt slightly weird pretending to be one of them, but it was part of the plan and he trusted Doug to get them through this.

"Who called 911?" Doug asked as he reached the security guards office, calling out three of the man from within.

"Did you guys called 911?" Jem asked.

"No one from here called," One of the guards told them.

"No we didn't uh...it wasn't us." The younger of the security guards said looking at his friends.

"Who dialled a 911 call?" Doug asked again.

"It's a robbery guys, come on?" Jem said playing along. He thought with some amusement that they should've been actors.

"You said a robbery?" The younger security guard questioned.

"Yeah. A call sayin' you're being held up." Doug explained.

"Oh, let…let me call Mike." The young security guard said reaching for his walkie talkie attached to his hip.

"We just walked passed Mike. He let us in." Doug frowned. He knew they would have a little trouble getting past them but everything was going to plan.

"Hey, look guys we got a distress call. All right so, who made the call?" Jem asked.

"Nobody called from here." The older security guard told them again.

"So...no one called. What are we doing here?" Jem asked looking at Doug as the older guard spoke up again, suddenly suspicious.  
"Hold on. Where's Mike?"

"I just told you where Mike was." Doug snapped.

The young guard motioned to the dark aviator sunglasses Jem and Doug were wearing, "You boys see all right? With the uh..."

"Huh? Listen, you fuckin' smart ass!" Doug cut him off, even he was surprised by how well he portrayed a cop.

"For our safety, for everyone's safety here we need to see your ID's. All right?" Jem asked waving his hand forward when one of other guards frowned at him.

"Guys...guys, hold up. We've been here all mornin'. Take it easy."

"My partner asked for your ID. All right. We don't know you. Until we identify all the parties involved here, we're gonna need some ID's and we're gonna need to see everyone on the ground. Right now." Doug snapped raising his hands when one pulled his side arm off his hip. "Wow! Wow!"

"Hey, hey! Relax." The guard told him but they'd had enough playing around and pulled out their own weapons, making the guards get down on the ground where they bound their hands and feet together.

After that was done they made their way to the cash room and knocked on the door. Jem tuned out as Doug started talking to the guards through the door. All he could think about was Murphey. She'd called him the moment she'd stepped off the plane and found a payphone, her voice making his worries disappear for a short time. He knew the attack haunted her dreams and the thought of being alone in a strange place freaked her out, but she trusted he'd be with her soon.

Everything appeared to be a blur from the moment they entered the cash room and started loading the wads of cash into bags, till the moment they made it safely to the underground parking lot where Gloansy and Dez were waiting.

As they started packing up and changing out of the cops uniform, Jem noticed Doug tense up more than he already was. He then noticed movement in the parking lot, a distant light flashing and he fired his gun.

While bullets were flying everywhere, Jem's mind drifted back to Murphey. He didn't care about the money. All that was going through his mind was getting back to her one way or another.

His thoughts were broken when Gloansy called him and Jem over to him.

"They're not looking for fuckin' cops," he told the two.

They got what he meant and quickly got back into the gear as Gloansy caused a distraction by driving the ambulance out the nearest entrance. They picked up a duffle bag full of money each before parting ways.

Jem stalked out of the building, following the pavement in the opposite direction of other cops in the area. He entered a parking lot across the street, hearing the footsteps of another stalking him, and then a voice.

"Officer, can you hold up a minute?"

He ignored them, not daring to look over his shoulder.

"Officer?"

"HEY FRAWLEY!"

He heard Doug's voice and took the moment of distraction to sprint across the parking lot, and cross the street, dodging cars until he couldn't hear the police sirens. He kept running, feeling his heart pound roughly in his chest, but Murphey's face appeared in his head and he told himself not to look back and keep running.

He made it to Town Flowers, dumping the money bag beside the door as he caught his breath.

"What ya doing here kid?" Rusty asked rising from his stool.

Jem inhaled a deep breath and pulled out his gun, releasing a round that went through Rusty's skull. The fat fuck fell back against the wall and slid down to the ground.

Fergie heard the shot and walked out holding his own gun in front of him. He seemed to relax when he saw it was Jem. "What -"

Jem cut him off by shooting him in the shoulder. As the old man fell backwards, Jem stormed towards him and held the gun to his head.

"Murphey says hi," he said before pulling the trigger, shooting a bullet into Fergie's head, between his eyes.

Jem turned back and left the store. He made his way to the train station where he would get off somewhere close to the border and make the rest of the trip to Mexico. He and Murphey were finally free to be.


	26. Epilogue: Four Years Later

**First off - YES this story has come to an end. NO there isn't going to be a sequel. I ended it this way so there wouldn't be. Thank you everyone who has read, added to their favorites, reviewed and followed this story. It means a lot to me when you love the stories. A huge thank you to my beta Laura. This story would not be hugely popular if it wasn't for her betaring skills. Any who continue to read and review.**

* * *

**EPILOGUE:**

**Four Years Later.**

Murphey waltzed out onto the deck, discovering Jem holding their sleeping three year old son, Lachlan. The sun hung low on the horizon and Lachlan had wanted to watch the sunset with his daddy but fell asleep just as the sky turned to an orange haze sparkling upon the ocean.

The last four years in Mexico had been the best years of Murphey and Jem's lives – the most brilliant he'd ever had. They welcomed Lachlan James Coughlin to the world eleven months after meeting back up in Mexico.

It was a strange time, after losing two children already they were nervous and worried, but Murphey managed to have a fairly easy pregnancy and Lachlan came to full term, born safely at the hospital. As the months passed, he appeared to be a mirror image of Jem but had her dark hair.

Jem managed to get himself a job cleaning out shipping containers and doing other odd jobs at one of the shipping docks. The pay wasn't good but it kept him occupied and made him feel like he was supporting his growing family.

Murphey continued on with her photography, taking pictures of the amazing scenery and selling it in a little store she owned. She also did family portraits when she had the time between Lachlan and putting her swollen ankles up, being she was half way through another pregnancy. She and Jem discovered a couple days earlier that they were expecting a little girl. At first it tore her apart. When she thought about the new baby her mind went back to Kayleigh and how tragically she had lost her. Jem soon reassured her everything was going to be fine because now she didn't have the stress of him being in prison and her mother kicking her out. Everything was seemingly perfect for them.

Murphey even kept in contact with Mary, confessing everything to her old friend when she was convinced she and Jem were safe. Mary had hung up, refusing to talk to her for a couple of weeks before calling her back, apologizing and understanding her reasoning. It wasn't long after that, that Mary came to Mexico, helping them out while Murphey was pregnant. And even though she continued to see Adam and somehow keep her vacations a secret, when she announced to Murphey that Adam proposed, it was Murphey who suggested he should know the truth about them – having faith he loved Mary enough not to come hunting for Jem.

To everyone's surprised Adam left the FBI, taking a job at the Pentagon so he and Mary could stay permanently in Washington and raised their family, as Mary gave birth to little girl called Leighton, not long after Lachlan's first birthday. Their families always spent Christmas and New Year's together in Mexico.

Jem hadn't heard from Doug since the robbery. Last Jem heard Doug was serving time in prison, having taken the fall for the robbery.

"Do you want me to take him?" Murphey asked once she had finished admiring the scene in front of her.

"I've got him," Jem smiled at her as he stood carefully making sure not to wake the sleeping boy.

"I don't mind taking him,"

"Put your feet up. I'll put him into bed then come and join you," he reassured her, walking past to take their son to his bedroom.

She sat on the couch with her back against the arm rest, waiting for Jem. When he came back he sat down at the other end and pulled her feet onto his lap and started massaging them.

"Oh God, please don't stop," she groaned happily.

Her feet hadn't felt this good since before she became pregnant again. She found her feet swelling was the worst part of the pregnancy. The aching made her want to sit down every five minutes just to get off her feet.

"So I'm God now?" He smiled at her.

"Keep doing that and you definitely are my God," she told him. "If I could I'd start bowing,"

He continued to massage her feet until she was blissfully happy. Once he was done, Murphey turned and rested her head on his lap. Jem placed a hand on her stomach, feeling his daughter move. Murphey smiled as she watched Jem's eyes light up.

"I love you," she told him.

He looked at her smiling. "I love you too… I love you and our little family."


End file.
